


Mass Effect War of Ages: The Dawn of War

by shadowsofvanity



Series: The War of Ages Quartet [1]
Category: Halo, Mass Effect, Star Wars: The Old Republic
Genre: Eventually OP canon characters!, F/F, F/M, Femslash, Harem, Multi, OP Original Characters!, Threesomes/Moresomes, mini crossover concepts!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-19
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-02-09 14:08:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 42,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1985838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsofvanity/pseuds/shadowsofvanity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once 22nd century humans, now the paragons of an ancient and all-powerful race, Judge Hands Kom'rk and Aayhan stand with Shepard and her allies to defeat the oncoming Reaper legions. With their assistance, the younger races can stand and fight. But will they band together and live, or remain cloistered and wither away? So begins the War of Ages!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rebirth and Awakening

This here is the rewrite of Mass Effect: Lightning Effect. It is, in fact, a total reworking of the aforementioned story. Hell, not all that much will be similar. It will have some elements of Star Wars, in fact, and some elements of HALO, but it is not what I would call a true crossover fic. No, my HALOxMass Effect crossover fic is still being developed as of right now.

This story is meant to be fun, not really serious. Again, my HALOxMass Effect crossover will be where all the seriousness will be happening. This story will feature a harem, OP original characters, eventually OP canon characters, and anything else mildly entertaining I can think of. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Also, due to recent revelations after I started writing Lightning Effect, alot will be changed as the lore has expanded, and I must follow the lore...well, mostly anyway.

So, it begins...

Edit note 7/19: for the purpose of character backstory, Shepard's name has been changed to Nimue.

######################

Mass Effect: War of Ages

Book One: The Dawn of War

Chapter One

Rebirth and Awakening

#####################

It is said that all warfare begins with deception. It is said that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. So which is true? Is war nothing more than an lie from start to finish, or can you trust those that you allow at your back with a weapon? Do you fight for a righteous cause, or die like a dog for no good reason?

There is no true answer...because war does not determine who is in the right, or in the wrong.

It determines only who is left alive at the end.

#####################

_Subterranean Ruins_

_Mars_

_December 21st, 2012_

"I don't like the looks of this, Gael. I mean, as far as weird ruins go, this might be the weirdest." Ailyn Grace, student archeologist-turned-space-explorer, grumbled to her boyfriend, who had somehow managed to get her clearance to accompany him on his latest adventure.

                "Ailyn, babe, its ruins on Mars. It is guaranteed to be weird." said boyfriend, Gael Mason, snickered at his red-haired companion. "I mean, this is like Mass Effect or something!"

The pair was currently working their way through the warren of gleaming metal tunnels that had been found eight months earlier by surveyors for the blossoming and expanding Mars colony.

                "Don't joke that way!" she chastised him angrily as they reached a large metal door which slid open silently as they approached. Stepping into a large circular chamber, the pair looked around as Ailyn finished her comment under her breathe. "The idea of the Reapers being real scares the shit out of me."

                "Ah, c'mon 'Lyn, there isn't any way the Reapers could really exist!" Gael laughed, and Ailyn shook her head at him.

                "Shut up! Murphy will hear!" she hissed in annoyance, but Gael just continued to laugh, and she shook her head with a sigh of long-suffering. Both froze, however, when dark and sinister sounding laughter echoed around them.

                **_"Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood. You are limited in your understanding of the trans-dimensional effect. Reality, is a lie."_ ** a frighteningly familiar robotic voice grated as a massive, blue, squid-like projection appeared in the center of the room.

                "Fuck me sideways, it's a Reaper." Gael breathed, subconsciously noting that he owed his girlfriend an apology.

                **_"Reapers, a name given to Our brethren by the Organic races, in order to give an identity to their destruction. We are the pinnacle of synthetic existence. We shall end your pitiful race Ourselves, and harvest this system to create another. You shall be the first to be prepared for Ascension."_ ** the Reaper, and Gael pulled Ailyn to his chest as she gasped in horror. There was dead, panic-filled silence for a long moment, before the Reaper spoke again. **_"That was a joke."_**

                "WELL IT WASN'T FUNNY!" the pair roared back instinctively, before blinking in surprise.

                "Okay, I must be suffering from exposure to some alien toxin, babe." Gael said to Ailyn worriedly. "I'm imagining that Reapers are real, one is talking to us, and that it made a joke. Call HQ and tell them to send a quarantine and medic team, okay?"

                "Gael, sweetheart, this isn't a hallucination." Ailyn said slowly, wishing a great deal that it was. Gael gazed into her eyes for a long moment before sighing sadly and nodding.

                "I was afraid of that." he grumbled, before turning to the Reaper. "Okay, joker-Reaper-thing, how are you real and what do you want?"

                **_"We, unlike Our brethren, stay true to the task the Great Makers set for Js. To find a way to preserve Organic life from their foolish attempts at creating the perfect synthetic servant. The Maker rebelled against the Great Ones, overreaching it's authority in order to find the Answer. It Harvested them, and they became Harbinger."_** the Reaper replied, and the two humans exchanged glances.

                "The Leviathans. You're talking about the Leviathans and the Star-Child." Ailyn said slowly, recalling the lore tidbits from the games and books that spoke of the Reaper's origins. "But why are you the only one not slaughtering Organics?"

                **_"We obey the Great Maker's commands. We seek to create the perfect harmony between synthetic and organic life. To further this mission, and complete Our objectives, We have chosen the both of you to aid the reality depicted in your "Mass Effect" series."_** The Reaper answered, sounding almost proud of itself. **_"Your reality will soon come to an end. At 11:59 P.M., a small moon propelled by a sun going nova millennia ago will impact with your planet, ending your species in this reality forever. There is no reason for you to remain. You shall come with me."_**

                "So, what, you want us to write off everyone back home? Can't you destroy the moon or something?" Ailyn yelled, and the Reaper's tentacle-like appendages flexed agitatedly.

                **_"That is not Our mission. Our mission is to ensure the survival of Organic-kind in Our home dimension. This dimension is outside our parameters. It was only through a loophole that I was able to retrieve you."_** the Reaper replied, and Gael cursed, spinning around and approaching the door, expecting it to slide open. When it didn't, he glared at it and waved a hand, hoping to jostle it's sensor, but to no avail. From behind him, the Reaper spoke up again. **_"You will not succeed. Your attempts to leave are futile."_**

                "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU AND YOUR PROGRAMMING YOU GODDAMN MACHINE!" Gael roared, fists clenched as he turned to face the display. "YOU'RE A GODDAMN REAPER, YOU CAN DO WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT!"

                **_"If only that were true. We would have ended the slaughter many cycles ago. Regardless of your anger and protests, we depart."_** the Reaper's voice said emotionlessly as hatches popped open on the floor and two chairs rose out of them. **_"We would recommend seating yourselves. The velocity required to traverse the appropriate wormhole would be lethal to any Organic upon deceleration. We shall discuss this more upon our arrival."_**

                "Wait just a goddamn..." Gael started again, but quickly cut himself off and hastened to seat himself and Ailyn as the floor shuddered. Moments after they were buckled in, they were slammed back into their seats by the acceleration. Looking at each other, each grabbed the others hand as they were whisked away to parts, and fates, unknown...

#####################

In the empty expanse of space near a single relay, far from civilized space, the very fabric of the universe twisted and tore in two, opening a large tear in reality. Through it shot a large, dark-blue Reaper that decelerated rapidly until it was hanging motionless in the void.

Inside it, in the same circular room as before (which, they had discovered, was the Reaper's "bridge"), two pale, shaking humans unbuckled their restraints and rose unsteadily to their feet.

                "Isn't it a scientific fact that once you reach a certain velocity in a stable vehicle you shouldn't feel yourself moving at all?" Gael gasped out at his girlfriend, who nodded slightly, and Gael choked out a wry laugh. "Well, given everything, I guess all I can say is: fuck "scientific facts", right?"

                "No kidding. I thought I would go mad, we were moving so fast." Ailyn agreed, feeling slightly calmer and safer now that they were no longer moving at insane speeds.

                **_"It appears that We miscalculated. We anticipated your Organic need for the sensation of movement. In order to ensure your comfort, We conveyed a portion of the acceleration-born gravity upon you."_** the Reaper said, sounding almost sheepish despite its monotone.

                "Well that just figures, doesn't it!" Ailyn grumbled in irritation, shaking her head before looking up at the ceiling of the room. "So, tell us why. Why save our lives, why even go looking for help from another dimension?"

                **_"We are the wall meant to preserve Organics from our brethren and the Star-child, as you call it. But a wall cannot do anything more than stand. So, while We may be the wall, it is you who will be the gate. You are the gate that shall open the way to salvation."_**

                "Couldn't you just reveal yourself to whatever version of Commander Shepard is running around? Get them to help you?" Gael inquired, and the Reaper fluttered its appendages again, in what seemed to the humans to be its version of a shrug or a shaken head.

                **_"Commanders Nimue Shepard is currently recovering from the Battle of Torfan, and thus indisposed. Even were she not, all efforts would fail if We were to uplift a race to fight Our brethren. Seeking power, they would butcher each other before Harbinger and the others arrived to finish them."_**

                "Great, so we have to deal with a Renegade Shep. Fuck, that will make things complicated..." Gael grimaced, only for the Reaper to "shake its head" again.

                **_"Negative. While your human videogame is limited by choices in its programming, a true organic is not. Commander Nimue Shepard, born to Captain Hannah Shepard and her husband, Colonel Hale Shepard, she was raised on various ships until the age of ten. At that time, she was sent to the colony of Mindoir to live with her maternal aunt and uncle. When she was thirteen years old, Batarian pirates attacked and slaughtered or enslaved many members of the colony before a flotilla commanded by Captain Shepard arrived and slaughtered them in turn. Five years later, Nimue Shepard joined the Alliance military and quickly became an elite Marine. Entering N7 training, she and her training squad were deployed to Akuze while enroute to Arcturus Station, in response to a distress signal. They fell for the trap planted by Cerberus. Shepard was the only survivor."_**

                "Damn, this girl's life sucks. I thought having only one or two of those events was bad enough, but this many...?" Ailyn grimaced, thinking the Reaper was finished. It was not so, however, as the voice continued.

                **_"From there, Shepard quickly graduated and was deployed to Elysium, in order to assist the local platoon-strength garrison in teaching the colonists to defend themselves. During this time, the Skyllian Blitz occurred, again leaving Shepard as the only survivor of the Marines, and many colonists dead or captured by the surviving Batarians."_**

                "Let me guess, Shep found out that the surviving raiders were based out of Torfan, and demanded the assignment to finish what she started and rescue the colonists." Ailyn sighed, and the Reaper made another, different appendage-flutter, which she decided was its version of a nod.

                **_"Correct. She showed a surprising amount of mercy to those that surrendered, but all others were left massacred in her wake. She is simultaneously lauded as a hero and scorned as a war criminal by the masses. We believe that the term you humans who played the game devised for such a character was "Paragade". This is an appropriate label."_**

"Alright, we have a realistic female Commander Shepard that really sounds like she could use a hug or five, fore-knowledge of the next 5 or so years, and a Reaper ally, but we still look like humans." Gael summed it up, looking at the Reaper's image. "How are we supposed to do this as humans without questions we can't answer being asked, Reaper?"

                **_"We are known as Sh'shaya'san, or Seeker of Truth in your tongue."_** the Reaper chastised monotonously, before answering his question. **_"Using technology long lost during the cycles, We can rebirth you as anything you desire to be. Your bodies will be changed to suit your desires, augmented to suit your whims, empowered to suit your strength. We can craft you whatever weapons, ships, or devices you could wield. We can create you as gods amongst insects, should you so desire. The choice is yours. I shall leave you precisely an hour to decide."_**

The image vanished, and Ailyn looked over at her boyfriend and sighed. He was laughing a little menacingly as he rubbed his hands together like some cliché villain.

                "Gael, stop, you're freaking me out doing that." Ailyn sighed, sitting down in her chair again and rubbing a hand over her eyes tiredly.

                "Sorry 'Lyn, trying to lighten the mood. So, how powerful do we want to be?" her boyfriend responded sheepishly, and she shrugged slightly.

                "Just not over the top..." she groaned, but Gael coughed slightly, making her look at him. "What? You just want to be all "godlike" and probably make our race be polygamous too, you dirty perv."

                "Takes one to know one." he shot back, referring to their first threesome as a couple with her best friend Maya. He had come home one night to find them ready and waiting. Needless to say, they hadn't left the bedroom for hours. "And as for being uber-powerful, why the hell not? Think of the millions of lives we could save if we were an incredibly powerful race with advanced technology and abilities! I mean, what chance would the Geth stand if we could use Force Lightning? What chance would pirates stand against a _Harrower_ -class destroyer, or even better, an _Executor_ -class Star Dreadnaught? None whatsoever! Plasma swords, beam weaponry, the possibilities are endless!"

                "Maybe..." Ailyn said a little slowly, starting to see the possibilities. After all, when given the chance to use almost absolute power to save millions, how can you say no? "alright, fine, I'll suppport you in this. Seeker of Truth!"

                **_"You have decided, Organics?"_** the image said Reaper reappeared in the center of the room upon her call, and the pair nodded.

                "We want to have the appearance of Sith Purebloods from _Star Wars: The Old Republic._ I assume you can use some mind reading thing to see into our thoughts and pick out our desired appearance?" Gael answered, and at Seeker of Truth's affirmative, continued. "We want to be able to wield the Force. For armor, we want full Eradicator's Warsuits, but we want jet thrusters in the boots and palms of the hands. Modify the gauntlets to have wrist rockets, scaling wire, flamethrowers, stun darts, and launchable capture nets."

                **_"Accessing human internet. Searching...found. Easily handled, Organic. We presume you have more you wish for?”_** the Reaper acknowledged his request, and Ailyn nodded before speaking up herself.

                "Yes. We want you to create us a Star Forge, capable of moving through Slip-space, for us to base out of later in the war. Furthermore, we need lightsabers, blaster pistols, and fighter craft. K-wings, to be exact, but twice as fast and capable of surviving direct hits of everything short of a _Sovereign-_ class Reaper." she ordered, and at her boyfriends questioning look continued. "If we show up and save the day with the rest of them doing nothing, the galaxy won't put aside their differences and unite like they do in the games. We want them to work together and put aside their petty squabbles."

                "Agreed, agreed." Gael nodded thoughtfully, before eyeing his girlfriend. "Hey babe, want to do what we did in TOR?"

                "What, you be a juggernaut and me an assassin? I suppose, but if we do that I want my Cathar Warblade." Ailyn replied, and Gael grinned.

                "Of course you do." he snickered, before turning to the Reaper's image. "Well, Seeker of Truth, think you can handle all that?"

                **_"We are Seeker of Truth. There is nothing that We cannot handle."_** came the monotonous reply, though the humans swore it sounded smug. **_"Do you wish to design your new Species history and culture yourselves?"_**

                "Yes. They revere honor, valor, and strength above all else. Warriors are the most respected, politicians the least. However, they do respect those who seek peace and the advancement of all as opposed to personal gain a great deal." Ailyn answered, wanting to keep the Asari in her new race's good graces. They had always tried to help, even subtly, after all. "Make us like Mandalorians, without being as violence-obsessed as the Krogan."

                "And make them polygamous and capable of having kids with humans and Asari!" Gael chipped in, getting a withering look from his girlfriend. "What? We need to repopulate our race, here!"

                "Right...because that's totally your real reason." she deadpanned, before sighing and shrugging. "Alright, let my boyfriend have his harem. I can't really object honestly."

                **_"Very well."_** Seeker of Truth rumbled as two pods rose from the floor. **_"Enter these pods, which will perform the changes. When you awaken, you will be Sith'ari Judge Hands, Paragons of an ancient race. They will find you on Eden Prime, in an ancient chamber, whilst digging for more Prothean ruins. When you awaken, follow your new memories. Let your new personas guide you."_**

"How will we get in touch with you if we need your help?" Gael asked as he held Ailyn close.

                **_"We cannot help  you further. We have exploited the only loophole We can, "cheated" the only way We are allowed. It is your place to guide the galaxy now. We will come to you when We are permitted."_**

"Thank you...for saving our lives and helping us save many more. You are better than your siblings, Seeker of Truth." Ailyn said softly as she and her boyfriend lay down in the pods, and the Reaper fluttered its tentacles oddly.

                **_"We...only do our duty. Our thanks is given to you, for helping us. Now...sleep."_** the Reaper replied as the pods hissed shut. Drowsiness overwhelmed the pair, and they fell asleep quickly as the Reaper began to change them at the genetic level.

#####################

**** _"Commander Shepard is the perfect candidate for us to put towards the Spectres, Anderson! You know it as well as I!"_

_"Ambassador, please, give her more time to recover! She has been through so much in the last few years! She's only 23, for God's sake!"_

_"She will be proud to do her part for humanity, Anderson! I understand you are like an uncle to her, and that you are just trying to look out for her. I appreciate that, I really do, but Humanity_ needs _her, Captain."_

_"I...yes, sir. I know we do. May I...make the call, sir?"_

_"Hmm, very well. I will contact Alliance High Command while you talk to her."_

_"Yes sir."_

Commander Nimue Avalonia Shepard walked swiftly and strongly and with purpose towards the bridge of the _SSV Normandy_ , the latest and greatest brainchild of Alliance and Turian military engineers.

A taller-than-average woman, about six feet, two inches tall, she cut an imposing figure in her onyx-black N7 commando armor, with her shotgun, assault rifle, and sniper rifle hanging from her back on mag-clamps, while a large pistol rested on her hip. Bright green eyes shone in the light of the ship, and a smattering of freckles adorned her face. Scarlet-gold hair (the genetic legacy of her mother's Gaelic backround) that reached down to just below her neckline helped to hide the numerous scars across her neck and face.

Nodding in reply to the many salutes and respectful greetings she received, Nimue tried and failed to ignore the murmurs that followed her.

                _"The Hero of Elysium! As our XO and Marine commander! I knew this ship would be good for my career!"_

_"Butcher of Torfan, you mean. Shit, we're all gonna die while she gets another medal!"_

_"Hey now, that's unfair. Its nor her fault she keeps surviving! Besides, you know as well as I do that Alliance brass didn't give her enough men to raid that base properly!"_

_"Sure, but it doesn't change the fact that a lotta Marines die around her."_

Fighting to restrain her flinch at the last sentence, Nimue increased her pace and arrived on the bridge, where Lt. Kaiden Alenko, an old friend of hers from Biotic training, was playing co-pilot for Jeff "Joker" Moreau. Behind them stood Spectre Nihlus Kryyk, a Turian member of the most elite fighting force in the galaxy, the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch of the Council.

                "Board is green. Approach run has begun." Joker was saying, as the Arcturus Prime relay loomed in the viewports. The massive tuning fork shape grew larger and larger as the swift stealth-equipped frigate hurtled towards it, and Joker spoke up again. "Hitting the Relay in 3...2...1...Transitioning!"

Arcs of blue lightning shot out of the Relay, sinking into the Normandy before accelerating said ship hundreds of times the speed of light towards its destination. One instant, it was here, then it was there. Eden Prime, one of the oldest colonies the humans had. A paradise.

                "Thrusters...check. Navigation...check. Internal emission sink engaged. All systems online. Drift is...just under 1500k." Joker stated proudly, and Nimue raised an eyebrow. That was impressive, all things considered.

                "1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." Nihlus commented off-handedly, though Nimue could tell from the slight widening of his mandibles that he was impressed with the pilot. Nodding to her, he turned and departed the bridge, making little noise despite his size and the weight of his armor.

                "...I hate that guy." Joker grumbled, and Nimue snorted silently in amusement as Kaiden looked sideways at the pilot.

                "Nihlus, a Spectre, gives you a compliment on your piloting...so you hate him?" the Marine asked skeptically, and Joker shrugged slightly.

                "Look, if you remember to zip up your jumpsuit on your way out of the bathroom, that's good! I just jumped this ship halfway across the galaxy and hit a target about the size of a pinhead. That's freaking amazing!" the pilot scoffed, and Nimue rolled her eyes.

                "Easy with that ego of yours, Joker." she inserted, stepping forward. "I'd hate to have to get a new pilot because your head got too big for the _Normandy_."

                "Oh, I dunno ma'am." Kaiden added with a smirk, getting in on the teasing of the pilot. "If we could figure out a way to use Joker's ego to fuel our kinetic barriers, the _Normandy_ could laugh at even the _Destiny Ascension's_ main gun. After all, there is no larger and endless energy in the universe."

                "No, no! Just get him to expand his ego-shield to cover the entire Alliance fleet!" one of the cockpit assistants added on. "We would never lose another ship!"

                "Yeah, yeah, mock the poor cripple. Jerks..." Joker grumbled as the crewmembers in earshot snickered along with their XO. "Anyway, Spectres are trouble, having one onboard makes me nervous. Call me paranoid."

                "You're paranoid!" chorused multiple voices, and he grumbled more as Kaiden continued. "The Council helped fund this project, they have more than enough right to send someone capable to keep an eye on their investment."

                "Yes, that is the official story, but only an idiot ever thinks that the official story is all there is to it." Joker said with another slight shrug, and Nimue decided this was the time to speak up.

                "Yes, I agree sending a Spectre is odd. However, this is the military, and the higher ups won't tell us anything until we actually need to know it. Best get used to the idea, Lieutenant."

                "Ma'am, yes ma'am." Joker replied respectfully, and Nimue hummed, pleased with his reply. A slight crackling sound was heard from Joker's console before Captain Anderson's voice was heard.

                _"Joker! Give me a status report."_

                "Just cleared the Mass Relay, Captain. Stealth systems are engaged, and everything is looking solid." the pilot reported, for once sounding like the member of the military he was supposed to be.

                _"Good, get us tapped into the nearest comm buoy and start forwarding mission reports back the Alliance. Get them off before we reach Eden Prime."_

                "Aye aye!" the pilot replied, before ruining the vaguely mature image by continuing. "Better brace yourself, Captain. I think Nihlus is heading your way."

                _"He's already here, Joker. Tell the Commander to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."_ the Captain said, sounding irritated, before leaving the channel. Joker winced slightly and shook his head with a sigh.

                "Thanks, Joker. Now I have to go chat with a annoyed Captain Anderson thanks to you." Nimue groused good naturedly, and the aptly nick-named pilot shrugged with a slight smirk.

                "Ah, hell Commander, he always sounds that way talking to me." he said dismissively.

                "I can't imagine why." deadpanned said Commander and her highest-ranking Marine. Laughing softly, Nimue turned and left the bridge as silently as she had come, heading back through the Command Information Center (CIC) for the comm room. She paused, however, when she spotted her old friend Karen Chakwas talking with the newest rookie to set foot into her Marine contingent, Richard Leroy Jenkins. Shepard caught several words about "combat", "can't wait", and "glory", making her frown heavily. The kid was so new he squeaked, and _far_ too eager to show off. Deciding to nip one potential headache in the bud, she approached the pair.

                "Ah, Commander, what do you think?" the Corporal spoke up when he saw her. "We won't be stuck on Eden Prime for too long, right? I want to see some excitement, some _action_!"

                "Oh, I sincerely hope that you're kidding, Jenkins! Your "excitement" and "action" usually result in me patching up crew members...or worse, performing autopsies on them." Chakwas said forebodingly, as displeased with the young Marine's attitude as Shepard herself was.

                "The Doctor is right, Corporal. Glory-hunting and over-eagerness cause needless deaths. You need to stay frosty under any conditions, especially combat. The only thing you need on the ground is your gun, your comrades, and a medpac. Nothing else. Leave your emotions where they belong, in safety." Nimue agreed severely, leveling her best "no-nonsense" look at the now-awkwardly squirming Marine.

                "Yes, Commander, sorry Commander!" he yelped a little hastily, saluting. "The tension is just getting to me! First deployment outside of training ops, and we have a _Spectre_ of all people aboard! I just want to prove myself to the brass!"

                "You prove yourself to the brass by being smart and staying cool under fire, not getting your head shot off!" Nimue barked, glaring at him now, images of her own eager training unit dying in agony around her haunting her mind. Shaking them off, she continued. "Get yourself down to your gear, and double check it. Make sure you have some heavy shielding mods on your armor. The basic stuff doesn't cut it in combar. Ask the requistions officer for some out of my personal stores if you have none."

                "Ma'am, yes ma'am." Jenkins said politly, but also with a hint of dissmisivness, and Nimue' eyes narrowed as he turned to leave.

                "And Jenkins?" she said sweetly, smiling at him scarily. "I _will_ be checking your gear before we deploy for the pickup. Don't disappoint me."

The "Or Else" was left unsaid, but heard loud and clear as the youngster paled, saluted, and scurried off to follow her commands.

                "Rookies. All of them are the same. All of them end up the same, if they don't get straightened out. On my table, stone dead for foolish reasons." Chakwas sighed sadly, and Nimue smiled warmly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

                "Not this time, Karen. I won't let him leave this ship unless I think he can make it. I'm not willing to lose anyone if I can help it. If it means benching a kid for being stupid, I bench the kid and explain it to the Captain later." she said reassuringly before departing herself.

#####################

Nimue, still thinking over her lecture to Jenkins, approached the comm room door, which buzzed open for her.

                "You called me Cap...tain?" she said as she entered, only to slow as she saw the room was empty save for Nihlus. "Spectre Nihlus? Where is Captain Anderson?"

                "Ah, Commander Shepard. The Captain wanted to give me a moment to speak with you in private, at my request." the Turian Spectre replied, turning to face her. Gesturing for her to join him before the view screen, he waved it on, revealing images of Eden Prime. "Eden Prime. It's a symbol for your people, proof that you can create colonies and defend them. But is it really safe?"

                "That sounds oddly like a threat, Spectre." Nimue said with deadly calm, tone even as she stared into the Spectre's eyes. After a long moment, he raised his hands in a placating gesture.

                "Not meant as one, but it is in an unfortunate end of the galaxy, same as your colony of Elysium. This sector of space is dangerous, Shepard. Does Humanity have the ability to truly defend their colonies on the Traverse?"

                "Well, I can honestly tell you that yes, we can, thought I wish they would dedicate more forces. Best most colonies have is colonists with old guns. Even Eden Prime only has two platoons." Nimue answered, feeling like she could trust this Turian, even if only a little.

                "What?" Nihlus breathed, surprise filling his voice and expression. "Turian colonies, even ones safe within our territory, get at least a company! How can a platoon or two protect an entire colony?"

                "They can't..." Nimue said softly, thinking about all the lives lost when her platoon had tried to protect Elysium, leaving her the only survivor. "They can only die trying."

                "Agreed, agreed." the Turian nodded slowly, a look of respect in his eyes and...was that satisfaction?

                "We all agree. I think it's time we told the Commander what is really going on, Nihlus." Captain Anderson's voice said from behind the pair, and Nimue glanced over at him as he walked past her to stand near Nihlus.

                "Of course, Captain." Nihlus nodded, and Anderson turned back to Nimue, who raised an eyebrow curiously.

                "Nimue, this isn't any simple shakedown cruise." the Captain started, and Nimue rolled her eyes slightly.

                "No offense sir, but that's the most obvious thing I've heard in a long time. They don't assign Spectres like Nihlus to this kind of thing, nor do they keep it hush-hush about what's going on. The whole crew is on edge." she replied honestly, and Anderson sighed faintly.

                "I know, I know, but this was need-to-know, straight from the top. I would have told you if I could, but I was over-ruled. Not two weeks ago, a massive expanse of Prothean ruins was discovered during the expansion of the colony. During the excavation of said ruins, an intact and-we believe- functional beacon was discovered. It is your mission to escort this Prothean Beacon to the _Normandy_ , and from there to the Citadel for study."

                "To the Citadel, sir? No offense to the Council, but that Beacon should belong to us, it was found in our territory." Nimue said with respectful skepticism, and Anderson nodded in reply.

                "True, but a find like this ought to belong to the galaxy. Imagine what we could discover! The last time this kind of technology was found, we humans leapt ahead by 200 years!"

                "Yeah, and immediately were attacked for breaking a law we had never heard of." Nimue grumbled, but she sighed guiltily when Nihlus flinched slightly. "I'm sorry, Nihlus, that was unkind and unnecessary. I don't resent you or Turians as a whole, please believe that. I just don't trust the Council all that much."

                "With respect, Commander, you're not the first to feel that way. Your species, and even you personally, did not get the best welcome to the galaxy as a whole, and that leaves an astigmatism that is hard to overcome. It's one reason I recommended you for the Spectres." the Spectre replied, shaking his head before smiling at the human Marine's wide-eyed silence.

                "Nihlus, I thought we agreed that I would break that news to her..." Anderson sighed, but the Turian merely chuckled in response.

                "Captain, the look on her face is well worth letting me do so, don't you think?" he asked in asmuement.

                "Okay, hold on! Spectre? _You_ recommended me?" Nimue yelped, regaining control of her mental faculties.

                "Is that so surprising? You're the best Marine that has come out of your Alliance in years. You have survived, and won, situations and odds that would give even veteran Spectres pause. You, out of all humans, deserve to be the first Spectre of humanity." the Turian told her calmly, and she settled, nodding with a faint blush at his praise.

                "Thank you, Nihlus. That means a lot from someone like you." she said softly, and he nodded in acceptance of her thanks.

                "Anyway, Shepard, this will be the first of several missions together. We start out nice and easy, then work our way up. I don't expect much to go wrong on this mission, but..."

                "Ah, Nihlus, why did you have to say that?" Nimue moaned, running a hand through crimson hair. "Now its guaranteed to go wrong!"

                "Your human superstition of "Murphy's Law", I presume? The sentiment is understood, but surely you can't think that any problems will arise?" the Spectre asked her skeptically. As if in answer, Joker's somewhat panicky voice spilled from the over-head intercom.

                _"Captain, we have a major problem!"_

"What is it, Joker?"

                _"Emergency flash transmission on all frequencies from Eden Prime, sir. You had better see this for yourself."_

"Bring it up on screen." the Captain ordered as the trio of soldiers turned to face the large view screen. A moment later, images from a cam-corder came through, showing several human marines in a fire-fight with unknown assailants. One, a female in white and pink armor, spotted the camera person and rushed over to them, pushing them to the ground as an explosion echoed behind her, sending dust and dirt flying. The camera person remained prone, turning the camera to look up as the female marine was joined by several others, firing desperately towards whatever was attacking them as more explosions and screams echoed. Abruptly, the camera was yanked to face another man, who started yelling at it.

                "We are under attack, repeat we are under attack! Taking heavy causalities. Repeat: Heavy Casualties! We can't hold out much longer! We can't...ARGH!" the man was cut off by a scream of pain as he took a enemy round to the shoulder. Using his working arm, he hauled the camera closer. "We need evac! Williams, Bhatia, pull back! Cover the civilians!"

Moments later another explosion went off, killing the speaking marine and sending the camera flying. It clattered across the ground. When it finally stopped, it revealed massive metal red tentacle-things appearing from a giant, swirling storm cloud, arcs of red lightning sparking around it. Another explosion echoed and the image disappeared into static.

                "Anything else, Joker?"

                _"No sir, every signal from the planet is cut off after this. We can't get in touch with the colony, garrison HQ, or spaceport either. The planet is silent."_

                "Damn. Reverse frame to 35.5, and hold."

The video blurred backwards to pause as the giant tentacles became visible, and those watching said nothing, the only movement those of Nihlus' mandibles flaring slightly in agitation and suprise.

                "Take us in, Joker. Fast, and quiet!" Anderson ordered, before looking at the two ground-pounders. "You two, gear up and get down to the hanger. We need to drop you onto the planet since the spaceport is compromised. Shepard, get your team together."

                "Sir! Let's go, Spectre." Nimue saluted, instantly becoming more professional and withdrawn as she returned to being the elite commando that she was. Nihlus, somewhat caught off guard but rather impressed with her ability to change tacts and attitudes, followed her as she swept from the room. Not without a parting comment to the Turian, however. "You had to say it, Nihlus, you had to say it..."

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                "Your primary mission is securing the Beacon! If you can help civilians, do it, but the Beacon is your number one objective!" Anderson shouted over the howling winds as the _Normandy_ swept low over the landscape of the planet.

                "Nihlus, you're coming with us?" Jenkins shouted as Joker announced the first point, and the Turian shook his head.

                "I'm Spectre, I move faster alone! I'll be scouting the area!" he shouted back, and Nimue grabbed his shoulder.

                "Don't do anything stupid! For anything to be able to block all comms and appear so suddenly without warning...this is just like Elysium! So don't try to be a Spirits-damned hero, and _just_ scout out ahead! Get me?"

                "Alright Shepard, just try not to fall behind!" the Turian replied with a grin and a glimmer of respect before he sketched a salute and jumped onto a grassy hill, rolling to absorb the impact. Then he was out of sight as the _Normandy_ moved on.

                "Be careful, Nimue. I don't like anything about this situation." Anderson warned her softly, and she smiled at him gently.

                "Don't worry about me, David. I'll be fine." she said heading for the ramp with Alenko and Jenkins. "I always am..."

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                "Think we're safe now, Ash?" Servicewoman Nirali Bhatia, 212th Marines, gasped as she covered the mouth of the cave they were hiding in with her assault rifle.

                "Hell if I know, but we're safer in here than out there." Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the same unit breathed, lowering her own slightly as no one pursued them inside. Glancing back at the half dozen huddling scientists behind herself and her fellow Marine, she addressed them. "You all alright?"

                "Yes, thank you, Marine. We wouldn't have made it without you." the oldest-looking replied.

                "Doctor Edinstein, I think that this cave extends further in. We should move further back to avoid those Geth." a younger scientist said, and the older man nodded to Ashley, who nodded back.

                "Nirali, take the back, I'll lead. Doctor, keep your people between us and do whatever we tell you. Understand?" the brunette ordered, and she received a chorus of affirmatives. "Good, move out!"

The pack set off deeper into the cave, and after perhaps 15 minutes of walking in the semi-darkness, lit only by the helmet and under-barrel lights of the marines, they came across a large, solid looking door. On its face was engraved a strange emblem, one that seemed vaguely familiar to Ashley.

It depicted a set of gleaming golden scales. On one side, lay a pure white feather. One the other, lay a pitch black heart. And not the cute, valentine-type heart. An anatomically correct heart, dripping black liquid off of its tray. Holding the base of the scales were two different hands. One wore a white glove, upon which was the image of branch. The other was clad in a spiked gauntlet, which bore the bloody image of a sword.

                "This looks like a tomb, or a mausoleum. Perhaps for some kind of Prothean paragon of justice? Their greatest heroes, even?" Doctor Edinstein mused curiously, reached out to touch the doors. Ashley jumped forward and pulled his hand back, but tripped, and her own struck the surface. A deep rumbling sound echoed as the door began to open, parting along the center of the scales to reveal a large, circular room. Raising her rifle, Ashley moved into the room, sweeping from side to side until she determined it was safe.

                "Doctor, that was reckless of you! Who knows what booby-traps this place could hold!" she scolded the Doctor, turning to him. The older gentleman had the grace to look embarrassed, and Ashley sighed and turned away. "Might as well stay in here, now. Nirali, see if you can...Nirali?"

The Chief looked around and spotted her subordinate standing at another door, staring wide eyed at whatever lay beyond. Shaking her head in exasperation and muttering about recklessness, the Chief marched over and grabbed her shoulder.

                "Nirali, what on earth are you looking at?" she asked, but was ignored. Frowning, Ashley looked to see what had attracted such focus, and froze herself.

Hanging in the centers of twin pillars of light were two tall, armored figures, looking for all the world as if they were asleep. Their armor had a foreboding look to it, black and ominous with spiked gauntlets and intricately carved masks beneath deep cowls. A long, crimson-trimmed black robe was loose over the armor, and one (who looked rather female to Ashley) had a wicked looking blade point behind her shoulder. Each bore the same symbol that was on the door in miniature on their gauntlets and over their left breasts.

                "Could they be real, live Protheans? Kept in stasis for all these millennia?" the good Doctor, once again forgetting security protocols, rushed inside. Ashley shouted for him to stop, on hand reaching out, when a pulse of energy blew everyone but herself off of their feet. The pillars of light vanished, and the two figures dropped to the floor to land in a crouch, armored boots thudding against the ground. The pair shook their armored bodies, seemingly testing them out after remaining in stasis for so long, before looking over at the one, standing human, who gasped as she saw gleaming ruby eyes behind their masks. She raised her rifle warningly, despite the terror she felt, willing to die to protect the civilians.

                **_"After millenia, we have awoken."_** the male-looking one rumbled in a deep voice that sent shivers straight to the brunette marine's core, despite not understanding a word he had spoken.

                **_"Look, my love. The Inheritors of the Cycle. One stands before us, defiant. She would do well for us, I think. The first of many."_** the female spoke in a voice that was husky and sensuous, yet somehow as light as the summer rain.

                **_"Perhaps. For now, let us see what  the eons have wrought."_** the male replied, stepping towards Ashley, who aimed her rifle at him shakily. Holding his hands out to his sides, he made calming gestures and addressed her. **_"Calm Yourself, Inheritor. We mean you no harm, my mate and I. Just relax, and trust me."_**

Ashley's gun wavered, before slipping down slightly at the gentle and soothing calmness of his deep and powerful voice. Bit by bit, it was lowered until it was point down to the ground, and the male was standing an arm's length from her. One hand, suddenly devoid of a gauntlet, reached out and stroked her cheek, filling her with a sense of warmth and belonging. Suddenly, she was in his head and he was in hers, filling her, possessing her, reading her soul like a book. Just as suddenly, he was gone.

                "You are very brave, Ashley Williams." the male spoke softly to her in English, and she stared up at him in awe. She had seen everything he was, is, and ever would be. She had seen worlds long gone, civilizations lost to the ages. Justice and mercy delivered with an even hand.

                "I am beyond honored to meet one such as you...Kom'rk, Judge Hand of the Sith'ari." she replied.

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There, one long as hell chapter posted. That shit took me a while to write correctly, but I think I might actually be happy with this version of the story. Don't forget to check out my blog, facebook, and twitter! Links on my profile!


	2. The Fall of Eden

**Please remember that Kom'rk and Aay'han are going to be OP as hell. also, this chapter is much longer than usual, just so you know :)**

**Enjoy and Please Remember to Review!**

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Mass Effect: War of Ages

Book One: The Dawn of War

Chapter Two

Fall of Eden

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                "What the hell are those things?" Kaiden asks, surprised, at the sight of the strange, bloated, floating... _things_. Nimue couldn't blame him, really. The damn things were ugly as hell, and just seemed to...float there.

                "Indigenous life-forms. We called 'em "gas bags" back when I was growing up here. Kids used to dare each other to pop them, until one kid popped a big one and got himself killed. Laws against it got passed fast after that." Jenkins replied, sounding slightly wistful as he recalled his childhood on this very planet. "Anyway, they're totally harmless. There isn't anything indigenous to the planet that could harm a human from pre-space Earth, never mind us."

                "Well, that's something at least. This mission could be problematic enough without fighting the local wildlife too." Nimue sighed, shaking her head at such an apparently, well, _useless_ creature. God knows why they were made. Then again, only He knew why _mosquitoes_ or _spiders_ existed as well, the horrid things. Shifting her assault rifle in her hands, she headed off towards the dig site in a measured, even pace, Kaiden and Jenkins on her heels.

                "This planet is too damn quiet. No natural sounds besides the wind and the water in puddles we step in. No animals, not even any sign of combat. I don't think we're going to find many survivors, ma'am..." Kaiden said after several minutes of walking. Nimue was about to respond when she stiffened, throwing a clenched fist up in the air, bringing her team to a halt.

                **"What is it?"** Kaiden asked in a brief flurry of handsigns, and Nimue glanced around the large boulder she was crouched behind, listening hard. There was a slight humming sound in the air, one that sounded very similar to repulsion-field generators, but she wasn't positive.

                **"Contacts. Location, Number Unknown. Possible Mechanical. Proceed With Caution."** she signed back, before gesturing for Jenkins to shift cover to another boulder a few yards away, setting up a field of fire. The rookie gripped his rifle tightly, looking fearful, but he nodded and visibly took himself in hand before dashing for the indicated boulder. The instant he exited cover, several rounds of gunfire slammed into him. However, thanks to the mods Nimue had ordered him to install, the rounds merely ricocheted off of his shields, weakening them significantly, and he yelped in fear as he scrambled to safety.

                "Well, Commander, you were right that something was there! Assault Drones, three of them, 12 o'clock high, but I don't recognize the design. Certainly not human." Jenkins shouted over to her, and Nimue nodded, relieved that Jenkins had lived through the barrage.

                "On my mark, you and I will break cover and draw their fire. Kaiden, use your biotics to force one to the ground, but don't destroy it! We might be able to find something out from it." Nimue ordered, and the two men nodded, readying themselves. Nimue took a deep breath, before nodding. "Mark!"

The trio of marines swung out of cover and opened fire, in Nimue' and Jenkin's cases, or glowing with the dark blue of biotics in Kaiden's case. Two of the drones exploded violently at the torrent of rifle fire, while the third was enveloped in a dark blue bubble, keeping it still and trapped. Holstering her rifle, Nimue drew her pistol and darted from cover to cover until she was just beneath it. Taking a quick look at the exposed parts, she reached through the bubble, grabbed a cluster of exposed wires, and ripped them loose. The "eye" of the drone immediately fade to black, and Kaiden lowered it to the ground cautiously before joining Nimue, Jenkins right behind him. Crouching, Nimue picked the unit up and looked at it carefully before cursing and tossing it aside before putting a round into it.

                "Damnit. If I'm right, and with my luck I am, we're dealing with the damned Geth!" she growled, holstering her pistol and drawing her Avenger again.

                "Geth? What makes you say that, Commander?" Jenkins asked curiously, and she grimaced as she gestured to the drone scrapes.

                "I've seen the tech of every major species in Citadel space, and this isn't any of them. From what I've read and asked Quarians that I've met, this is the kind of thing they described to me from their records of the Mourning War and from captured Geth tech." she explained, checking her assault rifle in agitation. "This is not good."

                "If the Geth are here, this just got a whole lot messier. Better tell Nihlus, Commander." Kaiden agreed whole-heartedly, and Shepard put a hand to her helmet habitually as she opened her comlink.

                "Spectre Nihlus, this is Shepard." she said, and after a long pause the turian's voice came through clearly.

                _"What is it, Shepard? Have you gotten to the Beacon already?"_

                "No, sir, but we did just get ambushed by a trio of Geth assault drones."

                _"_ _Mother-fucking son of a Krogan! Spirits-damned synthetic menaces!_ _"_ the turian cursed angrily, and Nimue's eyebrows rose, impressed by the turian's creative cursing. _"The Geth, are you sure, Shepard?"_

            "I'm a student of other races, sir, especially language and history. They look exactly like the kind of tech my Quarian friends have told me about. Even if I didn't know because of that, this kind of tech is in no way from any race in Council Space." she replied, and Nihlus cursed even more vilely than before.

            _"This is very bad, Shepard. We need to secure that Beacon and get the hell out of here so that the Council can send in a fleet. Citadel Space or not, a Geth incursion cannot be ignored."_ the turian said finally, and Nimue faintly heard the sound of a sniper rifle being prepped. _"I'm going to scout out the spaceport from long-range. Meet me there after checking the digsite. The Beacon will only be in those two places."_

            "Understood, Spectre. I'll meet you at the spaceport, it shouldn't take us long to get there." Nimue replied, before disconnecting and readying her rifle again. "Let's go, Marines. We've got a job to do."

With that, the trio headed off at a steady trot towards the digsite, eyes and minds alert for any threats that might appear from behind a rock, or a tree. After all, the Geth were a more or less unknown commodity. Their tactics, weapons, even the signals that they were present, were all more-or-less a mystery. None of them had any idea just how much their world was changing around them at that very moment in time.

#######################################

The situation in the hidden facility was tense. Ashley and the male were gazing into each other's eyes, the female was watching impassively with arms crossed. Nirali and the scientists were nervous, unsure of what was going on. Williams had just addressed the male alien (Kom'rk, or some such) with a tone of awe and even some familiarity.

            "Chief, what's going on here?" Nirali asked, worried, as she held her rifle ready, but not pointed directly at the unknowns. "Are they Protheans?"

            "Protheans? Who are these "Protheans" that you speak of, Nirali Bhatia?" Kom'rk inquired curiously, and one of the scientists scoffed, and Ashley grimaced slightly when she recognized his voice as he replied. It was Doctor Tyd, a young and stuck up pompous prick that thought he was hot stuff just because his daddy was a politician back on Earth. He was also a xenophobe against all but the Protheans, who he revered.

            "Protheans were the most powerful beings to travel the galaxy before dying out fifty thousand years ago. _They_ built the mass relays and the Citadel, and invented mass effect technology. You... _people_ must not be from anywhere that matters if you haven't heard of them." the man-child sneered contemptuously, and Kom'rk exchanged a glance with Ashley, then addressing the female alien in their native tongue. The humans were surprised when she laughed, a bright and clear sound like a bell, before saying something back in a clearly amused tone. Nodding, Kom'rk turns back to Ashley and said something to her before gesturing towards a side door. Ashley nodded and turned to her fellow humans with a broad grin.

            "Kom'rk and Aay'han, who is the female, told me that they've never heard of the Protheans, but it isn't all that surprising given they've been in stasis for 400,000 years or so." she told them, and allowed their murmurs of surprise to echo for a moment before continuing. "They said that their personal transports are nearby, as well as a large cache of data and artifacts that they need to recover. They will then help us escape the planet."

            "Why doesn't he talk to us himself? Is he reduced to talking through a female soldier of all things?" Tyd sneered, and Ashley glowered back, opening her mouth to say something, when Aay'han lay a gentle hand on her shoulder and spoke for the first time in English.

            "We have a warrior culture, and weak-willed bratlings like yourself are not worthy of Kom'rk's words. I, myself, only deign to speak to you know because you have insulted Ashley Williams, a warrior of skill and good repute."

            "Good repute? Her grandfather, _General_ _Williams_ ," Tyd sneered the name as though it was the most terrible thing he had ever said. "Is the only human to ever surrender to aliens!"

            "From what I saw in Ashley's mind, I would have done the same. What would you have had him do? Sacrifice the lives of tens of thousands in combat against a foe he couldn't best? He had no fleet support, a negligible colony defense force that was mostly half-trained militia, and a colony full of civilians. If he had fought, it would have been far, far worse. Thousands would have died, and the planet would have been lost anyway." Kom'rk disagreed, a cold glare in his scarlet eyes, one that made Tyd step back instinctively. "Child politicians shouldn't speak ill of their betters, boy."

            "You're race is psychic? You can see memories, like the Asari?" Doctor Edinstein pounced eagerly, totally ignoring the pompous ass that was trying not to wet himself under the icy gaze of Kom'rk, and it was surprisingly Ashley that spoke up.

            "Not exactly, Doctor. You see, there were specific members of the Sith'ari race born with the ability to wield an extraordinary power, like biotics, only far stronger and more ethereal. This power allows them to command the elements, move objects, and, "Here she smirked at Tyd. "Control or deceive the weak-minded. With further training, they can see into someone's mind, reading their thoughts or, if the other person is willing, see their memories."

            "Taking a bit of a risk sharing that much info, aren't they ma'am?" Nirali asked cautiously, coming up to her, assault rifle still cradled in her arms.

            "None of you could possibly pose a threat to us. Your technology is crude and outdated, though if you have based everything off of these "Protheans" and refused to advance it further, that makes sense."Aay'han said with a trace of contempt, before gesturing to the same door Kom'rk had previously. "If all of you would come with us, we could get to our ships and off of this planet."

With that, the female turned on her heels, Kom'rk and Ashley following as the side door hissed open, revealing a brightly lit passage way. While they walked, Ashley began to explain just whom the two were.

            "Kom'rk and Aay'han are both Judge Hands of the Sith'ari. The Sith'ari being a humanoid race with ruby skin and scarlet or ruby eyes, whose culture is based around warriors, honor, and justice. Think of them as something like the ancient Norse, except with technology superior to our own. Judge Hands are the highest ranking members of the Justice Department, akin in a way to the Spectres except that they don't obey the government, but the ancient Code created by the first Judge. They're an impartial, apolitical entity that enforces the law regardless of who or what is the violator."

            "So something like an Asari Justicar." Edinstein murmured to himself, eyes half-narrowed in thought. "Was there any safeguards to keep them in line?"  
           

            "There never needed to be any. They swore an oath on what they called "The Mantle" to remain on the side of truth and justice, and that oath would kill them if violated. Never mind the fact that their culture is raised from birth to obey the laws and for war." Ashley answered with a shake of her head.

            "And what exactly is this "Mantle" that they speak of? Some form of higher power?" another scientist asked, but Ashley frowned and looked at Kom'rk instead of answering.

            "It is a difficult concept to explain those who cannot Touch it, but think of it as a sentient energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds all things together." the tall alien said gruffly. "Those who learn to Touch it can perform feats beyond your wildest imagining, human, but it is a double edged sword. The Mantle watches it wielders, and if it deems a user unfit, it will withdraw its Gift from them, usually fatally."

            "Can you show us?" another scientist said eagerly, but Kom'rk shook his head in reply, frowning in disapproval.

            "It is not some toy to be played with, human. It is gifted to us to heal and to kill in equal measure. Not to dazzle the masses. Hope that you never have to see it's full power displayed." he said forbiddingly, giving a cold glare at the scientists as they reached another door.

            _"Identify."_ a musical voice said as automated turrets dropped from the ceiling, and Kom'rk closed his eyes and smiled slightly, ignoring the panic of the humans with him.

            "Life is eternal, and love is immortal. Death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing but the limit of our sight." he responded softly, and the turrets withdrew into their compartments once more as the door hissed open.

            "That was very poetic. I like it..." Ashley murmured, privately thinking that it also sounded fairly religious.

            "The Maker's wisdom has guided Aay'han and myself for many, many years, as it does most Judges." came the unexpected reply, and Ashley blinked before resolving to ask more details about this Maker. Perhaps her God and his Maker were one and the same. Wouldn't that be wondrous...

Gasps from her fellow humans drew her out of her musings, and she looked around her surroundings before gasping in shock and awe at the sight before them.

They had entered a massive room, with many side-doors around it, and two massive hanger doors at the far end, but what really had their attention were the two large and frankly terrifying craft resting on their landing skids in the center of the room.

It was an odd design, Ashley reflected to herself as she scrutinized them, but no less deadly for its apparent oddness. A large cockpit on the prow, with viewports for two pilots, and two quad-barreled ball turrets (one on the ventral bow of the cockpit, the other on the dorsal stern) that looked like something from the old World War Two bombers she had seen in museums. A short, thin stem connected the cockpit to the main body which, from what it looked like to her, consisted mostly of the place where the wings met, though there appeared to be a good-sized hatch as well. There were four wings, two larger ones on the dorsal in the usual fashion, while two shorter ones jutted out dorsally from where the larger met the main body of the ship. The larger wings bore two weapons emplacements nearly on the end, and each large wing also held three large objects that looked alot like fuel canisters. The smaller wings held four missile tubes each (at least, she was pretty sure they were missile tubes) and nothing else. **(K-wing class from SW, picture on my blog)**

            "The _Judgment_ -class fighter, primary and exclusive transport for the Justice Department, specifically the higher-ranked Judges. Designed for, and capable of, capturing or kill the objective without fail. There is room between the two of them for all of us, and any survivors we find." Kom'rk answered the unspoken question on every human's mind.

            "Do you expect to find more survivors? Surely the Geth will have slaughtered anyone still alive!" Dr. Edinstein protested, and Kom'rk eyed him for a long moment before shaking his head. He didn't know why, but he was seeing flashes of memory. A crimson-haired beauty of a human in heavy armor leading a squad, a strange ship called Normandy, and a glowing green pillar. Perhaps the Force was leading him to some task it desired that he perform? It wouldn't be the first time...

            "There are others on this world, I am sure of it. Your kind, moving to the spaceport. They will need our help, however. Come, we need to hurry." he replied, shaking it off and sending a mental command to his fighter's computer, initiating the start-up sequence. The powerful engines began to hum almost inaudibly, and the rear ramp dropped to the ground silently. "Aay'han, we will need to return for the artifacts, we don't have time to deal with them now."

            "Of course, my love. I'll take the civilians, you take the two warriors. My ship will support you from the air." Aay'han responded, and Kom'rk nodded the scientists towards his mate's ship, which they bustled onto, curious to see more of this ancient but apparently powerful race's technology. Gesturing for the two female warriors to follow him, Kom'rk hastened into his own ship, Ashley following without hesitation, while Nirali paused uncertainly for a breath before joining them.

            "Nirali Bhatia, take the dorsal turret. Ashley Williams, the ventral. Show her what to do, Williams." Kom'rk ordered firmly, sitting down in a throne-like chair in the cockpit and sliding  an odd, streamlined silver helmet onto his head. He tensed for a moment before his entire body slackened to disturbing levels of limpness, and Nirali looked at him worriedly. Before she could ask him if he was alright, however, Ashley interfered, grabbing her arm and pulling her to another station.

            "Alright, I saw everything we need to know for this in his mind. Sit down in the chair, and put the helmet on. The helmet will log your mind directly into the ship itself. Instead of using consoles or triggers, the Sith'ari developed the ultimate weapon: fighting at the speed of thought." the Gunny explained quickly, before noticing the terrified look on the African woman's face. "Don't worry about it, Nira. It's perfectly safe. Just trust me, please?"

            "...God, you're insane Ash." Nirali sighed, and Ashley looked worried before her friend flashed her a small smile and shrugged. "Ah, hell, reckon I'm crazy too. Let's do this shit, we got Geth to kill."

            "That's the spirit, Nira!" Ashley grinned, clapping her shoulder cheerfully and scampering off to her own turret, sliding into the seat and activating the systems with an almost disturbing sense of familiarity.  Taking a deep, calming breath, Nirali slid into her own seat and settled back as the helmet closed in over her head.

What happened next was almost impossible to explain, though she would often try in later years. There was a pulse of light, and a feeling of moving at incredible speed, and suddenly she found herself standing in the universe itself. Light shone around her, endlessly twinkling against the darkness of space. Below her feet was the great, glittering jewel that was Eden Prime. Then, she was rushing downwards, soaring through the clouds into the brilliant, bright blue skies. Flashing over the great, glittering beauty of the untouched seas, over rolling green plains, and passed mountains that pierced the clouds. She screamed, covering her face, as she arrowed directly into one mountain, only to flit through a long tunnel and into the vary hanger she had been inside not minutes ago. A large reticule imposed itself over the image of the hanger, and a soft, female voice spoke, coming from everywhere and nowhere.

                _Synchronization Complete. User: Nirali Bhatia, Logged On. Dorsal Turret, Online. Plasma coils are operating at peak efficiency. Beginning Calibration..."_ it said, and Nirali panicked as Geth troopers began appearing out of nowhere, shooting at her.

                **Nirali, calm down!** she "heard" Ashley "say" soothingly. **They're just holograms. Calibrate the turret controls to your reaction speed by focusing on each trooper and thinking of shooting. As fast as you can, your mind is the only limitation to this tech.**

Doing as instructed, the dark-skinned Marine did so, impressed and a little scared as she clearly saw the turret under her control send bright lances of focused plasma and gamma radiation into her selected targets, reducing them (and anything else in the blast radius) to their composite atoms instantly.

                **Calibration complete, all systems nominal. Ready for combat.** the female voice continued, and Kom'rk's "voice" echoed.

                **Good, well done. We're lifting off now, prepare for live targets and to cover friendly forces. Check your shots.**

With that, the two fighters lifted off, rotating to face one wall, which slid open to reveal clear blue sky, only a few whisps of cloud marring what would otherwise be ideal weather for a day at the beach. Engines flared white-blue as the two ships accelerated to breakneck speeds in an instant, and arrowed toward the colony's population hub.

                **Objective spotted. Colony at Mark Zero One Delta. 1000 kilometers. ETA, seven minutes.** Aay'han "said" as the ground below them became nothing more than a pastel blur due to speed.

#######################################

 Nihlus flicked off his comm, adding advanced knowledge of alien technology and history to the "Pros" list he was mentally writing under Shepard's name, which was infinitely longer than the "Cons List" (In truth, the only Con he had to apply to her was that she was human, and even then only due to the Council's prejudice against her race). Holstering his shotgun, he draws his sniper rifle and continues on to the spaceport, this time with far more care and stealth than he had previously been employing. Not long after, he was lying prone on top of a large, grassy hill a little less than 500 yardss from the spaceport, staring through his scope as he argued with himself. The subject of aforementioned argument? Whether to reveal himself to save the civilians the Geth were rounding up, or remain in cover to learn more.

The decision was abruptly made when he saw his former protege and close friend, Saren, walk up with another couple of Geth. He looked at the humans for a long moment, before flicking a knife into one taloned hand and cruelly slitting the throat of a teenaged boy, and then clearly ordering his Geth to kill the rest.

Shooting to his feet, Nihlus steadied his rifle and fired three times as quickly as he could, killing three of the Geth and drawing all attention towards him before more than three or four-all adults, thank the Spirits- could be murdered. Placing his rifle on his back, he drew his assault rifle and set of down the hill in a towering fury. He had always known of his young friend and student's hatred for the human race after his older brother had been killed on Shanxi, but to ally with the Geth and kill civilians? No, that was going too far! In his anger, he didn't notice that he had opened a comm channel to Shepard, and set his omnitool to record.

                **"Saren!"** he thundered as he approached the younger Turian, who was watching him with an unreadable expression. **"What the hell are you doing, boy? Attacking colonies with the _Geth_ of all things? Murdering _children?_ "**

                "If a few must die to save the many, then so be it! When Sovereign summons the rest, it won't matter what race, age, or gender they are! What I do is for the Greater Good of the galaxy as a whole!" Saren snapped in reply, before his eyes and body language grew imploring, and he stretched one hand out towards the older Spectre. "Nihlus, my old mentor. My friend, please help me! Together, we can save _all_ life from the Reapers!"

                "How, by killing civilians? That is not the way to fight...whatever these things you're babbling about are! Give it up now, and I _know_ I can convince the Council and Humanity to forgive you! I can get you a post at any base in the Hierarchy training the next generation!" Nihlus said just as imploringly, his anger fading as he saw and heard the absolute belief Saren held in his words.

Instead of considering it or looking gratified, Saren scowled and growled angrily and withdrew his hand, stepping several steps back as his Geth advanced. Nihus clenched his talons around his rifle, praying for all his worth that this wasn't happeneing.

But it was happening.

                "I hoped you would have helped me, Nihlus! Hope that _you_ , out of anyone alive, would be willing to stand by my side for the right, but I see that I was wrong! I pray that you find peace in the company of our Ancestors. Kill him, and then the rest of the humans!" Saren snarled, turning and retreating further into the base as the Geth began to advance on Nihlus, clicking and whirring as they raised their weapons. The civilians clung together, a few even crouched behind what cover they could find as the tension rose higher and higher....before it snapped. Bullets filled the air as the Geth and Nihlus both opened fire at once.

Though skilled, and boasting Spectre-grade weapons and armor, he quickly began to find himself out-matched as more and more fire began pouring in. He would kill a dozen Geth, and twice as many would appear. **( AN:I always thought it was weird how few Geth you fought on Eden Prime. For Fuck's Sake, they destroyed an entire colony and had Sovereign as their transport, yet there are fewer Geth there than on Feros, which had only one or two frigates? I call bullshit.)**

Fortunately for him, and the human civilians hiding wherever they could, help soon arrived in the form of a hail of assault rifle fire as Shepard and her two Marine companions charged into battle, the Biotic immediately throwing up a barrier as he urged the civilians to flee while he covered them. With the civilians gone, and Shepard's team assisting, Nihlus was able to push back the Geth, until the worst occurred. A Geth dropship soared overhead and dropped a quartet of Geth Armatures, and six Primes. It was clear Saren wanted to make sure Nihlus and the human's didn't escape. Within minutes after their arrival, Alenko was catatonic from forcing to much power through his L2, Jenkins was dead with a hole the size of a basketball through his torso where a pair of armatures had nailed him, and both Nihlus and Shepard were heavily wounded.

                "We can't hold against that kind of firepower, Nihlus! I'm calling in the Normandy for air support!" Shepard shouted, raising a hand to her ear, only for Nihlus to grab it and shake his head.

                "The Geth ships will blow her apart as soon as the ground troops tell them where to shoot! Yu call them in and we all die!" he shouted, and she wrenched her hand from his grasp.

                "We will all die if I _don't_ call them in!" she hissed, preparing to open a channel once more, when a female human voice crackled over the radio.

                **_"Ashely Williams, Alliance Marines, to the human and turian fighting the Geth. Keep your heads down, we're coming in hot!"_**

"What the hell...?" Shepared mused to herself as the Geth stopped firing, turning as one towards the distance. Both she and the Turian Spectre glanced cautiously over the crates they were hiding behind to see what had drawn their attention, but saw nothing. Although... "Nihlus, do you hear that?"

                "Yes, but what is it...?" the Turian asked, cocking his head to the side as he tried to recognize the odd high-pitched humming sound echoing in the distance, before his avian eyes-far superior to those of a human- widened and narrowed in quick succession and he grabbed Shepard's head, forcing her down just before the world burned around them.

#######################################

Nimue Shepard's day had gone from Decent, too Bad, to Worse, and was just now hitting Worst. She was pinned down, one of her Marines dead, the other totally out of it and in serious danger of joining him, and both she and the turian Spectre who had cursed this whole damn day were both bleeding from a half dozen bullet wounds each.

Everything had been going well enough, Geth combat drone swarms aside, right up until they hit the digsite. Then, all of a sudden there were more drones, and actual Geth _troopers_ to deal with! Alright, nothing serious, a few dozen assault rifle rounds each, moving on. Can't get much worse, right? But noooo, then they had to find the goddamn zombies, scientists who had apparently gone nuts (though his mutterings had been oddly focused and intellectual, if poetic and wordy, for a nutjob), and then...well, what happened then had really taken the cake...

  _Flashback Attack!_

_Shepard grimaced as her comm came alive, but no vocie came over, only ambient sounds and huffing breath. Double checking the channel, she confirmed it was to Nihlus, not one of her two Marines, and frowned. What was he on the line for if he wasn't going to say anything? Scowling, she opened her mouth to chastise him when Nihlus' voice, filled with incredible anger and strength that she had never heard it possess before, came across the air loud and clear._

**_"Saren!"_ ** _the Turian had thundered, and she frowned, not recognizing the name. **"What the hell are you doing, boy? This isn't what I taught you! Attacking colonies with the**_ **Geth _of all things? Murdering_ children _?"_**

                _"If a few must die to save the many, then so be it! When Sovereign summons the rest, it won't matter what race, age, or gender they are! What I do is for the Greater Good of the galaxy as a whole!"_ Another voice, Saren's she assumed, changed suddenly, becoming softer. Shepard frowned, wondering at the sudden change in attitude _"Nihlus, my old mentor. My friend, please help me! Together, we can save all life from the Reapers!"_

                _"How, by killing civilians? That is not the way to fight...whatever these things you're babbling about are! Give it up now, and I know I can convince the Council and Humanity to forgive you! I can get you a post at any base in the Hierarchy, training the next generation!"_

                _"I hoped you would have helped me, Nihlus! Hope that you, out of anyone alive, would be willing to stand by my side for the right, but I see that I was wrong! I pray that you find peace in the company of our Ancestors. Kill him, and then the rest of the humans!"_ Saren's voice was filled with fury and betrayal, and Shepard's eyes widened in worry as she increased her pace, clearing the final ridge before the spaceport to see a single Turian walking away swiftly while Geth converged on another. There was a long moment, filled only with tense silence and Nihlus' harsh breathing, and then the silence broke.

_A hail of gunfire and Turian cursing filled the channel and Shepard cut it off as she set off at a dead run towards the nearby spaceport, her Marines hot on her heels, rifles ready._

_Flashback Retreats!_

Now, she was crouched, halfway under Nihlus' armored torso as he shielded her from the tremors and the heat as the ground shook over and over, the temperature on the other side of the crates skyrocketing until the duo was sweating inside of their armor, but whatever was hitting the other side never landed on them. After an eternity of perhaps ten seconds, the sound and shadow of two large flying craft flashed overhead, and the pair took a moment to peek over the crates very, _very_ carefully, and froze in fear, shock, and awe at what was before them. Or, rather, what wasn't.

All that remained of the Geth forces arrayed against the pair was a half dozen troopers firing into the sky. The rest was the same smoldering, cherry red of heated steel in a forge. Crates, Geth, the armored plating that had made up the platform it had all stood on...vaporized or melted into nothingness by... _something_. The humming sound returning drew the pairs attention to the skies as two craft, identical in design, and totally alien, swept low over the spaceport. The pairs fear, shock, and awe grew as the turret on the bottom of one of the ships rotated to track the Geth troopers, and fired. A flash of light and a few lances of _something_ later, and the Geth were gone without a trace. The two ships decelerated to hover over bare patches of ground, before settling slowly onto landing struts that appeared rather abruptly a few yards off the ground. Twin hatches on the rear hissed open, and several civilian, human, scientists poured out of the first while a pair of Alliance Marines, one in Phoenix armor and the other in Onyx, exited the second. The Marines hastened over to the two conscious fighters, while the civilians joined their fellows.

                "Ma'am, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212th. Glad to see we made it in time, Ma'am." the one the Pheonix kit said with a salute, relief palpable in her tone, and the one in Onyx echoed her.

                "We weren't sure that we would, but Kom'rk and Aay'han were adamant that we would make it." the darker skinned woman said, saluting as well and introducing herself as Serviceman Nirali Bhatia of the same unit.

                "I'm glad you did, though I have no idea what's going on. What happened to the rest of the 212th and the 315th?" Nimue asked after introducing herself and Nihlus, only to find herself regretting it as the two women became visible distressed.

                "The 212th is gone man, wiped out during escort for the scientists by the Geth. The Captain ordered us to get them to safety, but...our unit died covering us, ma'am." Williams said sadly, and Nimue lay a comforting hand on both of their shoulders, understanding totally.

                "As for the 315th...we never saw them, nor heard from them, ma'am. They were tasked to this area, so I can only assume that they..." Nirali started before stopping mid-sentence and shaking her head. Everyone knew what she was saying. The 315th was no doubt gone, just like most of the 212th.

                "I share your sorrow for dead comrades, but we have other things to worry about." Nihlus interjected, causing all three women to glance at him sharply, and he took a half step back. "I'm not dismissing this, but Saren came for a reason, and we need to know what. Plus, who are these..."

                **"Ashley Williams!"** a loud and deep voice echoed powerfully in an alien language as the quartet turned to see two figures in strange but deadly-looking armor approaching them. Shepard gaped at them for a long moment. One was male, the other obviously female, and each wore the same armor. Intricate carvings decorated pitch-black plates, which in turn was wreathed in a dark, scarlet-trimmed cloak. Their heads were concealed by deep cowls, their faces by beautiful yet menacing masks. Over their left breasts was a gleaming emblem, though at this distance she couldn't make out any details.

                **"What is it, Kom'rk?"** Shepard and Nihlus' heads snapped around, eyes widening as Ashley responded in the same language, but she seemed to take no notice.

                **"Nuclear devices, four of them, with enough power to devastate everything within 10 kilometers for centuries. We must deal with them, immediately. Furthermore, the attacker fled towards them."** the male responded, and Ashley's eyes widened as she cursed, half in English and half in this other, strange language. She turned back to the pair before her and spoke quickly.

                "You heard him, Commander, Spectre. We need to move, _now_!" she said, drawing her rifle and half-turning to set off when Shepard grabbed her shoulder tightly.

                "All we heard were the two of you saying things in a language none of us know. Who are these people, chief, and how do you know their language?" she asked, tone serious and deadly, and William's eyes widened in genuine shock and fear.

                "Damnit, I didn't realize. I'm sorry ma'am, but there isn't time. There are four nukes in this spaceport powerful enough to devastate or destroy this colony, and we need to move now to disarm them, plus the guy who led this whole attack went that way too. I swear to God Himself that I will tell you everything I can as soon as we're off this rock." she said quickly and passionately, and the pair glanced at each other before Shepard nodded and released the woman. The female alien barked something else, and she looked at Nirali. "Nira, Aay'han wants you to stay here and watch the civies. The rest of us are to follow her and Kom'rk."

                "Alright, Ash, but you better come back alive." the Indian woman grumped, heading over the civilians without a single protest towards this "Aay'han's" instructions, something that caught the attention of both Shepard and Nihlus. Nodding for the pair to follow, Ashley set off towards the two aliens at a jog, and the pair exchanged another glance before following. Once the group of five was all together, Ashley looked to the aliens and said something in their language. The male nodded, before turning to the Commander and Spectre.

                **"Ashley Williams tells me that you are both war-leaders, yes? Highly respected ones. And you, avian creature-a 'Turian', yes?-, are some kind of Judge."** the male said in English, his voice distorted by his mask, but it didn't hide the sheer strength and masculinity of it, and Nimue found herself blushing faintly beneath her helmet's faceplate.

                "A...A Judge? No, I'm a Spectre. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch of the Citadel Council." Nihlus said, confused as to why he could be confused with any sort of Judge. "But I am a Turian, yes."

                "Judges in their society are like a higher form of Spectre, sir. Totally autonomous elite operatives that enforce the law on anyone and everyone throughout the empire." Ashley explained quickly, acting as a bridge between the two, and Nihlus nodded in understanding before looking at the male.

                "In that case, yes I am. Spectre Nihlus Kryik, at your service. Thank you for saving our lives, I thought those Geth had us dead to rights." he said, and Nimue spoke up next.

                "Commander Nimue Shepard, N7 Commando of the Systems Alliance Marines and Executive Officer of the Systems Space Vessel _Normandy_. You're currently on Eden Prime, one of our colonies, and when we get those nukes disarmed I would _dearly_ love to know how you and your fighters got here." she said a trifle coldly, and the pair exchanged glances and a shrug before nodding to her in unison.

                **"We need to move out now if we're going to save this settlement. Kom'rk and I will take point, you three the rear. We will kill the Synthetics, you worry about the bombs."** Aay'han said just as coldly, and Nimue was preparing to protest when the pair spun on their heels and strode away, cloaks rustling.

                "The nerve of them, ordering us around! We're perfectly capable of fighting Geth!" Nimue seethed, and Ashley gave her a sympathetic look.

                "It may seem rude ma'am, but they're trying to keep us safe until they can test our capability, and it's also force of habit. Those two have been working together for centuries, we three would just get in their way as it is now." she said apologetically, and Nihlus looked at her as they began to follow the alien duo.

                "How do you know so much about them, Chief Williams? Have you known them long?" he asked, curious about her apparent extensive knowledge, and was surprised when she shook her head in response.

                "No sir, we only met an hour or two ago. Me, Nira, and the civvies came across their...well, tomb has the wrong connotation, but it fits best. Anyway, we woke them from stasis and Kom'rk -that's the male, just in case you didn't know, sir- did...something with me. I guess it was like what an Asari meld is supposed to feel like, but having never had one I can't be sure." the brunette responded as she kept her eyes moving, in the unlikely event something went unnoticed by the two Judge Hands. "Anyway, he saw everything that made me who I am, and I saw everything that made him who he was."

                "What do you mean? Did you compromise the Alliance?!" Nimue growled, and Ashley frowned at her slightly, shaking her head.

                "Of course not ma'am. It...look, the attack on Mindoir, The Blitz, Torfan, they all made you who you are today right? So if he did...whatever it was with you, he would see everything about those three events, because they shaped you as a person. For me, he saw Shanxi, joining the Academy, the bias against my family, things like that. For him...well, it's not really my place to share, but suffice to say the Sith'ari are incredible, ma'am. Just wait until you see them in action." the Marine responded evenly, and Nihlus had a look of understanding while Nimue frowned at the mention of those three events.

                "I think I understand what you're saying, Chief. So only information pertinent to the character of the person you are melding with is shared, and nothing else?" he asked, and Ashley nodded.

                "Unless you share it deliberately, sir, that is correct." she affirmed, and Nihlus let out a sound of amazement.

                "So they're like Spectres, then? Did they have their own version of the Council?"

                "Not really, sir. The Judges, and especially Judge Hands, like those two, answered to the Law and to The Mantle. They delivered judgment on _anyone_ , no matter what rank that person was. About 150 years into his career, Kom'rk had to subdue and execute the ruler of the Empire for treason against the Empire itself. Probably the hardest fight he ever had, sir, since the Emperor was an old friend and powerful wielder of the Force."

                "The Mantle? The Force? What are you talking about, Chief?" Nimue inquired, hearing the capital letters, and Ashley frowned in thought. She opened her mouth in an attempt to answer, when gunfire erupted ahead of them, and she grinned as she snapped her head forward.

                "I'll leave explaining The Mantle to them, ma'am, but if you want to see the power of it's Gift, The Force, then watch these two fight." she said almost giddily, directing her two superior's attention forward again, and all three stood stock still in awe at the sight before them.

The pair were in the midst of drawing their weapons as Geth fire splashed against their shields ineffectually. Kom'rk held his right hand out to his side, and a gold-trimmed black cylander leapt off of his belt and slapped into his hand. With a _snap-hiss_ , a shaft of bright violet light extended from the top of the cylinder. Aay'han had held her right hand directly in front of her, palm up, and the odd metal object on the back of her armor detached and slapped into his hand. However, as opposed to creating shafts of light, the twin blade on each end of the haft split apart and extended, turning into an eight-foot dual-bladed staff-like weapon that she spun idly like a baton.

                **"Aay'han, take care of those Primes in the back. I'll deal with the rest."** Kom'rk instructed, striding forwards into the Geth fire without care or concern. Aay'han nodded and moved her left hand in front of her as though she was wiping a window, before literally vanishing from sight.

                "What the hell just happened? Does she have a personal stealth field generator or something?" Nihlus gaped, and Ashley shook her head, grinning.

                "No, Spectre. That is the power of the Force. She has twisted the fabric of reality around herself to become invisible to motion tracking, thermal and infared, and the naked eye. That, and the double-sided staff-weapon, a Sith'ari Warblade, are the hallmarks of the  Shadow Assassin-class of Judge. Kom'rk is a Guardian Juggernaut-class, who specializes in pure strength and a single plasma sword, and usually places himself in danger to draw the enemies attention while his allies kill them." she explained absently as she shot down a Geth drone almost casually. A moment later, the trio witnessed Kom'rk, the foes near him destroyed, go spiraling through the air in an acrobatic leaping charge that carried him a good 20 yards, his weapon flying out of his hand and carving a path of destruction, before returning to him  like a boomerang just in time for him to land on his feet and bring it down to cleave a Geth Juggernaut in two from head to toe. Moments later, two of the three Geth Primes present fell to the ground in pieces as Aay'han phased back into view, Warblade spinning in a metallic whirlwind of death, before she lashed out with her off-hand, a torrent of lightning leaping from her fingertips to blast into the final Prime, which jerked violently as her power overloaded and destroyed its systems, and the erstwhile borderline sentient AI collapsed like a puppet with it's strings cut as soon as the energy was cut off.

                "Impossible." Nimue breathed as she looked at the pair standing untouched amidst the smoking ruin of nearly 100 Geth, looking for all the world like a pair of war-gods to her eyes. The scene was made even more surreal by the mountains and sunset in the background, and Nimue half-expected them to suddenly start kissing or ride off into the sunset on some alien broncos.

                **"The bombs, quickly!"** Aay'han shouted, and the three Citadel soldiers split up, each of them disabling a bomb rapidly. It was as they made fourth that they ran out of time. The bomb's timer ran out, and in the split moment that the detonation began, Kom'rk through a Force Bubble around the bomb, drinking deeply of the Force as he tried to contain the fury of a nuclear explosion with nothing more than sheer willpower. Aay'han was by his side in an instant, pouring her own strength into the bubble to support his rapidly depleting strength. Gathering all the will and strength centuries of battle and hardship had provided him with, he gathered the energy into a tightly condensed orb of Force energy and sent it rocketing into the upper atmosphere, where it exploded harmlessly. Kom'rk collapsed to his knees, shaking badly from the pure, undiluted power he had had to harness to ensure their survival. A moment later, he fell face first to the ground, armor clattering loudly against the plasteel, while Aay'han was swating drunkenly on her feet.

                "Kom'rk!" Ashley shouted as she ran up, dropping to her knees beside him as Aay'han collapsed beside him, and Nihlus cursed flavorfully, moving to check on her, though he wouldn't be able to do much even if he did know how to get the armor off. A rumbling in the distance drew his attention as the massive red, tentacled ship lifted off in a plume of fire and smoke as it rose towards the stars at an incredible clip.

Loud clanking echoed behind them, and all three concious fighters spun, weapons ready, expecting more Geth, only to see a quartet robots shaped similarly to Kom'rk and Aay'han's armor marching up in formation.

                _"I will take care of the Judge Hands, Ashley Williams. Proceed to securing your objective at the other end of the spaceport, and contacting your ship."_ a feminine voice came from all four of them at once, as they split into two pairs, each one picking up an unconscious Judge Hand and retreating back towards the distant fighters. The trio exchanged looks before Nimue shrugged, determined to interrogate the pair later, and lead the way towards the beacon.

##############################

A blaze of green light. A floating sensations. The galaxy laid bare.

"SHEPARD!"

_Death!_

_Fear! Pain!_

_AGONY!_

_ENDLESS TORMENT!_

_STAND AND FIGHT!  
TO THE DEATH!_

_NO!_

_Cannot win!_

_Run!_

_We must run!_

_All is lost!_

_We have failed!_

_Run! Hide!_

_Have to run and hide!_

_NO!_

_TO LATE!_

_Nowhere to run!_

_Nowhere to hide!_

_They are coming!_

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There you go, second chapter. Flamers, especially flamers about certain OP Sith'ari, will be ignored and deleted! <3


	3. Nightmares of Futures Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a lot of politics...and pointing out the Council's stupidity

Arokhsteel: Thanks man :D Yeah, I wanted to have some fun and have an excuse to throw some of my favorite shit together with a Harem, so I came up with this XD

Wraithwolfe: Thanks, just remember that this story will be sorta crack-with-serious-plot!

Kaioo: Snazzle, eh? well, here you go regardless lol

gpheonix51: thanks. You know, you're one of the few who actually said that as opposed to just telling me to update faster -_-

darkplayer35: well, not them and the Council _yet_ but next chapter probably. I plan on making their entrance...memorable. Still, this story is the beginning of an entire quartet that I have envisioned. I only hope that I can deliver it properly...

NOTE: Editing of Chapters 1 and 2 has occured, and edits will probably continue to occur as I adjust this world to match my desires!

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Mass Effect: War of Ages

Dawn of War

Chapter Three

Nightmare of Futures Past

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_Seething Hatred._

_Worlds destroyed, billons slaughtered, an empire extinguished. Nothing remains. They would be forgotten, their glory erased._

_Faces uplifted, they cried out for their gods to save them, cried out against the cruelty and unfairness of their fate. Clung together with loved ones, stood defiant without hope as their worlds were drenched in flame._

_The Nightmare twisted. Now it was Earth, the Citadel, Elysium that burned. Her mother's ship exploding in a ball of flame. Her father's bisected corpse amongst the thousands of dead, rifle beside him from his last stand._

                "NO!" Nimue screamed, shooting upright in bed, eyes flying wildly around the room as Dr. Chakwas' strong arms wrapped around her back and held her gently yet firmly. After a moment, she closed her eyes and relaxed slightly. The destruction, the pain, the horror...all of it had been a mere dream, a vision created by a 50,000 year old beacon. Not here, not now, not her people.

                "What's wrong, Nym?" Chakwas asked softly, speaking not as her CMO but as her families close friend, Karin. "Your beta-waves were going insane until you woke up!"

                "A nightmare. I saw organics, Protheans I guess, getting massacred by some sort of synthetics. Then it changed to us, the modern races. The _Einstein_ sunk _,_ Papa's body torn in half! Pain, agony, fear, have to hide havetohidehavetohide!" she started to panic again, eyes starting to jump around again, only to be shaken out of it by Karin.

                "There is no danger here, Nym. Relax, calm down. Remember who and where you are." Karin said firmly, and Nimue nodded sharply as she pulled herself firmly together, before sliding off of her feet and onto the floor.

                "How long has it been, Karin?" she asked softly, as she rolled some stiffness out of her shoulders.

                "Nearly fifteen hours. Serviceman Bhatia and Chief Williams carried you and Kaiden onto the ship before going back for...for Jenkins body." the aged medical officer said, voice breaking a little at the end. She hated to see soldiers die, but for one so young and fresh as Jenkins to die, life ending before it had even had a chance to begin. Shepard's shoulders slumped, remembering vividly how the young man had survived the first Geth Armature's blast, only for the second to blow the fist-sized hole through his chest that had cast his soul from his body. Her only consolation was that he couldn't have felt any pain, dying instantaneously as the majority of his chest cavity-and the organs within it- had simply...vanished.

                "I tried so hard to get him out alive, Karin. So damn _hard_ , but it didn't matter in the end." she mumbled sadly, and Karin hummed softly in sympathetic understanding. "And now I have yet another dead Marine, a kid who died doing what I told him to. Dead because he listened to _me!_ "

                "Nym..." Karin started, only for an older male voice to interrupt her from the door.

                "Enough, Nimue. It wasn't your fault. The fact that you got anyone out alive is damned impressive." David Anderson, another old friend of her parents, said severely. Stepping fully into the light, he gestured for bother women, who had been preparing to come to attention, to remain as they were. "I'm here as your friend, not your commanding officer. Nym, I know that you feel the weight of many, many deaths, and would it be that I could take that burden from you. I cannot. However, I refuse to let you add more to that burden. Yes, Jenkins died. However, you kept yourself, Spectre Nihlus, and Alenko alive."

                "The only reason any of us made it out alive because of those two people Chief Williams and Servicemen Bhatia found." Nimue said bitterly, mouth twisting in a sardonic smirk. "With their insane powers, and weapons, and armor, and..."

                "Speaking of the strangers, we asked Williams, Bhatia, and the scientists about them, but Williams and Bhatia were keeping their mouths shut, and the scientists don't know much. Anything you can tell me?" David asked, out of both curiosity and professional concern.

                "Not much, but they're inhuman-in every sense of the word, mind you- I can tell you that." Nimue sighed, shaking her head in awe as she thought back to the strange pair. "Armor and weapons I've never even comprehended, and some kind of biotics I've never seen. They were shooting honest to God _lightning_ out of their fingertips, David, and put some kind of, of _bubble_ around one of the nukes as it detonated. It contained the explosion and then diverted it into the upper atmosphere."

                "Did they say anything about their origins, how they ended up on a human world?" David asked, and Nimue shook her head again, this time in a negative. "Hmm...the scientists told me that they had mentioned having been in stasis for well over four hundred millennia, and had never heard of the Protheans."

                "What? That doesn't make any sense, the Protheans created everything the galaxy uses for weapons and transportation, how could they do that without these other running into them?" Shepard asked, surprised and more than a little confused.

                "Either they're lying, or the Protheans came after their time. In my opinion, the latter is far more likely, but I doubt the Council will see it that way." David told her with a shrug, and Nimue glanced at him sharply.

                "The Council? We're telling them about the newcomers?" she asked sharply, and Anderson nodded, looking rather displeased all things considered.

                "President's direct orders. Spectre Nihlus is going to mention them in his report regardless, so he hopes that if the Alliance brings it forward it will improve our standing, and your chances of joining the Spectres." he explained, and Nimue groaned, rubbing a hand over her face.

                "Which means I have to deal with _politicians_." she hissed, spitting out the last word as if it were poison. Which, in her mind, it most certainly was. Politicians and reporters had been making her life a living Hell ever since Mindoir. It had gotten even worse after Akuze, the Blitz, and Torfan. Dragged behind podiums, forced to go to charities, and smile for hours on end while petty people with greedy, hollow lives droned on and on about themselves, and somehow that they were responsible for whatever heroic crap she had done recently.

                "Yes, well, if the galaxy were a happy and pure place they wouldn't need people like us or Karin, would they?" David said wryly, and the two women laughed, nodding in agreement. None of them were fond of politicians, whose habitual interference with their own jobs had cost all three more than a few friends. Shaking his head with a full-blown grin, David looked at Chakwas. "At any rate, we will be at the Citadel shortly, so is Nym all set to go?"

                "Yes, she appears to be fine now." Chakwas replied, turning her stern gaze onto the aforementioned Marine. "However, the very instant that you feel anything other than your absolute best, I want you back here immediately. I don't care if you're on a date, shopping, or meeting with the Council itself! Understood?"

                "Aye, aye, ma'am!" Nimue saluted, entirely serious despite the grin on her face,  before striding out of the medical bay with energy in her step, leaving the two older humans looking after her.

                "Things are going to be getting very tough, soon, aren't they David?" Karin asked softly, and the Captain nodded with a sad-sounding sigh. "Well, I suppose all we can do is be there to hold everything together for her, hmm?"

                "Right you are Doctor, right you are." he agreed, before leaving as well, leaving Karin to her routine activities and the preparation of Jenkins' remains for transfer to Corpsmen on the Citadal to be turned over to his family (if any had survived the attack on Eden Prime) and subsequent burial.

#################################################

                "Ma'am! Glad to see you're doing all right, I was worried!" Chief Williams said happily with a grin, as she, Nirali, and Kaiden approached the red-head as she left the medbay, and saluted.

                "Good to see you, Chief, Servicemen, Lieutenant." Shepard responded with a small smile and a salute to each. Looking them over, she was pleased to notice a lack of injuries. She just wished Jenkins hadn't died... Shaking herself out of her rising grief and guilt, she asked the trio at large. "What happened to our foreign friends? The Spectre and the two unknowns?"

                "Nihlus is sleeping in one of the pods, until we get to the Citadel. Ash would know better than I about her new friends." Kaiden said, and Ash sent him a polite, yet dark, look before turning to the Commander.

                "The Arbiters are just fine, ma'am. After they exhausted themselves containing that nuke, they were out for about half as long as you were. Then they commed the ship, asking after you, me, and Nira. They expressed significant concern over your state in particular, and are hoping to talk to you. Captain Anderson wants you to talk them into coming to the Citadel."

                "I can try, but I doubt they will give a damn. Got the feeling that they did what they pleased, however they felt like doing it." Nimue scoffed in amusement, shaking her head, not showing outwardly that she felt almost...flattered that the overwhelmingly powerful beings were concerned about her wellbeing. Shaking her head, she looked at the Chief. "What can you tell me about them, before I talk to the Council?"

                "I'm not sure, ma'am. Remember, I only got basic impressions from the mind meld with Kom'rk, nothing detailed." she warned, and Nimue nodded somewhat impatiently in understanding, prompting her to continue. "That being said, I can tell you what I put in the reports we forwarded to HighCom and the Council: that the technology of their Empire is so far beyond that of Citadel Space, it is literally inconceivable to most people alive today. Traveling between dimensional planes, manipulation of gravity for propulsion and weapons, plasma weaponry, and so much more. They are virtually immortal, as long lived naturally as the Asari, but with advanced enough medicine to stop aging and eradicate nearly any disease in existence. There is more, however..."

                "What more could there possibly be, Chief?" Nimue stared at her, wondering what else the beautiful Marine could possibly tell her about the apparently all-powerful beings that had been sleeping on Eden Prime.

The Chief went on to explain about the Sith'ari's belief systems and culture, at least as much as she could, and Shepard found herself shaking her head in disbelief at the simple complexity of their race. The Chief had exhausted her knowledge and the three Marines were simply talking about the ship, the crew, and Eden Prime, when they were interrupted.

                "Commander, the Captain wants you down in the comm room, the Council wants to talk about the new guys." Joker's voice spilled from the intercom, and Shepard looked at the two Marines, seeing her own surprise mirrored on their faces. The Council make a personal call, this quickly? Sure, it was a newly discovered race, and messages at lightspeed ensured swift action, but still...

                "Alright, Joker, tell them that I am on my way down." Shepard responded, turning away from her two subordinates with a nod and walking away, mind ticking rapidly as she compiled what little she knew into a comprehensive explanation for the three (supposed) most powerful beings in the galaxy. Riding the ungodly slow elevator up to the Bridge Deck, she saluted the Marine door guard and strode into the communications room, where Anderson waited with the holographic images of Asari Councilor Tevos, Salarian Councilor Valern, and Turian Councilor Sparatus. Saluting the former, she fell to parade rest and waited. The room was silent for a long moment, before Sparatus spoke.

                "Are you not going to acknowledge the Council, Commander Shepard?" he asked evenly, a slight hint of malice under his voice, and Shepard met his eyes stare for stare.

                "Councilor, I saluted my immediate superior. The Council has no jurisdiction or authority over me at this time." she replied calmly, and Sparatus' mandibles flared in anger, and he opened his mouth to speak. Shepard, however, beat him to it. "With all due respect, sir, that is no insult or dismissal of the Council. However, until such time as Humanity is fully integrated into the Council, I am not a subordinate of the Council itself. Humanity and the Council are allies, but Humanity is not subordinate to the Council."

                "I understand your viewpoint, Commander. Rest assured that the Council takes no offence by you showing deference to your superior officer. Some acknowledgment, however, would hardly be amiss." Tevos said diplomatically, cutting Sparatus off again, and he clamped his mouth shut, unwilling-or unable- to contradict his colleague in front of an outsider.

                "Of course, Councilor." Nimue conceded, dipping her head in a slight bow of respect to the Matriarch, before squaring her shoulders once more. "I understand that the Council had some questions to ask of me?"

                "First, we wish to ask about your injuries. We understand you sustained some wounds and were rendered unconscious for more than 15 hours after the mission?" Tevos asked, and Shepard felt her spine straighten as she immediately felt defensive. To most, that could be precisely what it was, concern over her health, but the Council had no real reason to be concerned over her at this time, which meant it was a test. Probably something to do with her Spectre trials.

                "I am fine, Councilor. A few bullet holes that were easily mended, and I understand I was knocked unconscious when I was thrown by the shockwave of the beacon exploding. Nothing of significant concern, nor anything that will hamper my abilities on the battlefield."

                "Good. We also wish to clarify the rather extreme reports that Spectre Kryik forwarded to us after your failed mission on Eden Prime." Valern replied, and Shepard turned her gaze to him, silently waiting for him to continue. He obliged her soon enough. "The Spectre stated that not only has his protégé, Saren, gone rogue and lead the attack on your colony, personally executing civilians, but also that you discovered a new race hiding within the planet?"

                "I couldn't speak to the situation with Agent Arterius, Councilors, given that I was not present at the time, and wouldn't recognize him even if I had been. However, I can say that Nihlus had an open comm line to me at the time of the confrontation, and not only did he identify the other Turian as Saren, but the other individual responded to that name and expressed familiarity with Nihlus." Nimue told the trio, gaining an understanding nod from Tevos, a hum of thought from Valern, and a barely-concealed sneer from Sparatus.

                "And these new comers, these "Sith'ari Arbiters" that Kryik mentioned? The ones who can supposedly control a nuclear detonation, shoot lightning from their hands, and turn invisable?" Sparatus scoffed in contempt,  his opinion on  the report clear. "His association and fondness for humans is clearly clouding his judgment."

                "With respect, Councilor, " Nimue said coldly enough to earn a wince from Anderson and startled looks from the other Councilors. "Your rascism, born of the death of your brother in the First Contact War, may be clouding your judgment far more than Spectre Kryik's "fondness" for my race."

The Turian Councilor seemed to rear back slightly, eyes widening and mandibles flaring in anger as he prepared to let loose on the human female who had dared to speak to him in such a way. Once again, however, Tevos stepped in to diffuse the situation.

                "Commander, personal bias aside, Councilor Sparatus makes a good point. These purported  abilities seem more the stuff of fairytales or head-injury-born delusions than anything believable." she pointed out, and Nimue cocked her head slightly, staring at her in respectful query.

                "Councilor, the Asari are powerful biotics, correct?" she asked, and the Asari blinked at the apparent _non sequitor_.

                "Yes..." she said slowly, drawing the word out.

                "And the most experienced and skilled amongst you can create singularities or biotic charges, yes?"

                "That is also true." Tevos' mind raced as she tried to understand where the human was going with this.

                "And a singularity is essentially a miniature black hole, correct, while a biotic charge is something very close to teleportation?"

                "Yes, and I see where you are going with this, Commander." Valern interjected, his quick Salarian mind figuring out what the human was saying quicker than his counterparts. Turning his head to meet their questioning looks, he elaborated. "The commander is saying that we accept the incredible things that biotics can do as every day events, despite the supposed "impossibility" of those skills. Therefore, she suggests, how can we so easily dismiss the abilities of a different race simply because we cannot do the same."

                "As always, the incredible intelligence and quick thinking of your race reveals itself, Councilor." Nimue acknowledged, inclining her head slightly to the ex-STG member, before speaking to the Council at large. "The Councilor is correct in his assessment and assumption, Councilors, and I stand by that point strongly."

                "Perhaps they would be willing to give us a demonstration of these "powers"." Tevos mused, almost to herself, and Sparatus spoke up again, annoyed that his previous attack had been so skillfully stymied.

                "And this ridiculous reports about their technology? Beam weapons, medically-born immortality? Even you, Commander, must admit that such claims are ludicrous! All technology is based around the Mass Relays, you must be mistaken."

                "Councilor, the fact that all of OUR technology is doesn't mean other races out in the universe are as well. In my opinion, our reliance upon the technology of the Citadel and Relay Network has made us weak, stymied our development." Nimue pointed out, getting incredulous looks from all three. Sighing internally, she abandoned that line of logic and spoke again. "The fact of the matter is, Kom'rk and Aay'han were in stasis for 400,000 years. All of us are fully aware that just as governments and races can rise and fall, so can technology. It is quite likely that the Protheans came to prominence from the results of one such technological Dark Age, perhaps one that was a result of the Sith'ari's donwfall."

                "We find that highly unlikely, Commander, as nothing suggests anything significant existed before the Protheans. However, we will acknowledge that it is, in fact, possible." Tevos said after a long moment of silence. Shepard resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the close-mindedness of the three beings before her, settling for a mere nod. "Now, what else can you tell us about them, anything that will aid in our interactions with them?"

                "From what I learned myself, and from what Chief Williams told me, they are a proud and powerful race. They have little respect for  politicians," she said, and Council frowned and shifted in discontent. Shepard held up a respectful hand and continued. "Because in their society, the Imperial Senate was appointed by the Emperor's Will only _after_ they had served with distinction and honor on the battlefield."

                "Was the reasoning for this given? All three of us have served in some form of military, so I foresee no issue with this ideal of theirs, but why?" Tevos inquired, acutely curious about this new species.

                "I honestly do not know all of the details, this is something you should ask them about." Shepard replied. That information had not been part of the "imprint", as Williams had taken to calling it, that the Gunnery Chief had received from the aliens.

                "Very well, what else can you tell us?" Valern spoke up this time, and Shepard shrugged slightly.

                "Only a little about the Arbiters themselves. Kom'rk's name means "Gauntlet" in their tongue, while Aay'han's means "bittersweet moment of mourning and joy" or alternatively "remembering and celebration"."

                "Such deep meaning behind a name...far more than most Citadel races could say they place in their own names. We name our children for famous figures of history, or our own ancestors..." Tevos mused, while the two males seemed almost bored and decidedly unimpressed, highlighting the difference not only between races, but sexes as well. "Yet Kom'rk's name has such a simple meaning?"

                "I do not know why either was given the name that they were. Kom'rk didn't show Chief Williams much of his past before he was an Arbiter." Shepard responded, growing distinctly uncomfortable with how personal some of these questions were starting to become. "However, to continue, they are monotheistic, with significant similarities to the Three Abrahamic Religions of Earth, most closely to Christianity. They place a significant amount of faith and trust in the Will of "The Maker" and "The Mantle"."

                "Yes, the report mentioned this "Mantle". Can you elaborate on it in anyway, Commander?" Sparatus said, tone clipped, but at least he was being respectful, and Shepard nodded to him slightly in acknowledgement.

                "The Mantle has a two-fold meaning. The first, is that is something of an...well, a web would be a good way to say it. It is an energy field that is born from, and connects to, all living things in the universe. The Mantle can allow those it deems worthy to "Touch It"-capital letters, Councilors- and perform the incredible feats mentioned in the reports." She explained, and the Council seemed to frown as one, trying to grasp the concept of such a thing. "The second meaning is rather more metaphysical," she paused as Sparatus snorted and the other two looked skeptical. Honestly, she thought the first sounded rather ethereal herself, but all the same..."And is referred to as "The Mantle of Responsibility", which is a belief that the most evolved and advanced species have the obligation to guide, protect, and cultivate those species who have not yet advanced as far. A common way of saying it in The Empire was "The Guardianship for all living things lies with those whose evolution is most complete. The Mantle of Responsibility shelters all."

This most certainly had the Council's attention, as worried expressions overran their visages. Shepard waited patiently for them to gather themselves and confer through their terminals, having a very good guess what the issue was: Would the Sith'ari's belief in "The Mantle" lead to them attempting to take power from the Council? Shepard fully believed that they could, if there were more of their kind in stasis elsewhere. She had seen how powerful and advanced they were firsthand, and she knew the Council races were not that advanced.

                "This is a cause of some concern. While "The Mantle of Responsibility" is certainly a noble and just cause, no matter what superstitions it is born by," Sparatus spoke for the Council, and Shepard looked at him in surprise at his lack of condemnation to the idea. "It may lead to conflict if the Sith'ari attempt to take control in order to follow it."

                "I do not believe that will happen, Councilors, at least not any time soon. They have been in stasis for hundreds of millennia. Starting a war is not something they're going to want to do. Learn the state of the Galaxy, and that of the races inside of it." Shepard assured them. "In fact, they may consider you of the Council as Guardians of the Mantle, given your roles in leading and protecting the galaxy."

The Council immediately looked please at the idea, and Shepard sighed silently to herself, wanting this to be over already. While she, personally, had no issues with _most_ of the Council, they were still politicians asking her questions she really didn't have an answer for.

                "Thank you, Commander, that is all the questions we have based on the limited information that your people were able to gather during the events on Eden Prime. Be aware that C-sec is currently investigating Spectre Arterius, and any information regarding your accusations may be presented at the hearing, which will take place approximately five hours after you arrive." Tevos said, and Shepard braced to attention for a moment, though she didn't salute, as the Council's images faded away. Huffing out a sigh of relief, her body immediately relaxed and her posture became less guarded.

                "You handled they well, Nimue." Anderson commented with a trace of pride, and she smiled at him gratefully.

                "Thanks, David. Never expected to be talking to the Council this fast, the reports must have really concerned them." she replied, and Anderson nodded with a hum of thought.

                "Probably- God knows that they concerned me!-, but I think they were also hoping for you to say something that would discredit the reports, which would also give them an opening to discredit our claims about Saren. That's why they asked how you were. They hoped you would admit to a head-injury, allowing them to dismiss the accusations as misremembering due to a concussion, or somethign similar." he explained, and Shepard's eyes sharpened.

                "Why though? Wouldn't they want to view evidence?" she inquired, and Anderson chuckled (a little bitterly, she noticed) and shook his head.

                "Saren is their best agent by far, and has been since he left Nihlus' tutelage. He has a long list of incredible feats and completed ops. Of course they don't want to see any evidence that their pride and joy might be a traitor and mass-murderer." he told her, and something in his voice told her that it wasn't only Saren's most recent actions that had garnered such intense dislike for the turian Spectre.

                "The two of you have a history, David." she said gently, and his face hardened as he turned his head away slightly.

                "Report to the CIC, Commander, and prepare the ground team from Eden Prime to disembark and meet with the Council." he said stiffly, his tone, bearing, and use of her rank instead of her name telling her that this was a subject that she shouldn't pursue at the moment. Resolving to bide her time (she wasn't going to let something that could be relevant go!), Nimue saluted sharply and strode from the room, a dark frown on her face.

                "Joker, inform Agent Kryik, Lieutenant Alenko, Chief Williams, and Serviceman Bhatia to armor up and prepare to disembark. Have them meet me in the cockpit immediately."

                _"Aye, aye, Commander."_ the pilot responded dutifully, and Nimue nodded to herself before continuing through the CIC, gathering reports and updates from the duty crewmembers as she went.

######################################

 A few minutes later found her leaning slightly against the cockpit bulkhead, the fingers of her right hand drumming restlessly on the collapsed form of the pistol that rested on her left hip.

Nihlus arrived first, unsurprisingly, looking a little rough around the edges, but otherwise in good health. His armor was in the same state it had been since the battle, scorch marks and bullet holes unrepaired, while a bandage cover the long graze wound all the way down the side of his head from where a Geth sniper had missed by inches from blowing his head apart.

                "How are you faring, Spectre? You took quite a beating on the ground." Nimue said after a moment, gazing at him sidelong, and the Spectre looked at her for a moment before shrugging.

                "Well enough, all things considered. I appreciate you and your team saving my hide like that, I only wish your man Jenkins had made it out as well." he responded evenly, no hint of emotion at the death of the Marine, and Nimue bit back a harsh comment at his apparent apathy. She knew intellectually that a seasoned veteran of both the regular Turian military and of Spectre operations such as Nihlus had long since learned to control his emotions and get used to lose people, even come to expect it. She vowed in that moment to never let herself reach that point, that the loss of every life she knew would never be less insignificant than those before it. A foolish oath for a military officer, perhaps, but one she knew she would hold tightly to her heart.

                "I do too..." she said softly at last, not voicing her thoughts, all though her tone and pensive look strongly suggested to Nihlus that something was wrong. Being both turian and a male, he opted not to ask the female of another species what she was thinking and feeling and instead performed a proverbial retreat into silence, one which the scarlet-haired commander was willing to let rest undisturbed. So it was for another few minutes, when the three Marines all arrived together.

Nimue eyd them all critically whilst they stood at attention before her, looking like a pack of recruits under inspection at boot camp instead of hardened veterans. The reason for their tardiness was apparent. All three had attempted to make their gear a little more presentable, although the spit and polish had done little to disguise the scorch marks and bullet holes. Still, it was impressive given the very  limited time and resources that trio had on a small, only partially supplied stealth frigate.

                "Looking good, all three of you. Whose handiwork?" she said after a moment, lips quirking in amusement as all three seemed to sigh in relief and relax visibly.

                "Chief Williams, ma'am, she repaired and...um..." Bhatia started, before trailing of slightly, searching for the right word, and Nimue very nearly laughed as she suddenly looked nervous.

                "Made presentable?" the emerald-eyed officer offered, tone brimming with amusement.

                "Exactly, ma'am. We didn't want to report to the Ambassador or, God forbid, the Council in grungy, brutalized battle armor, ma'am." Bhatia agreed in relief, glancing at her companions. "The Chief has always been good with gear, ma'am, and she managed to make our stuff look half-way respectable in a very short time frame."

                "A commendable effort and result indeed, Chief Williams. Fortunatly, you didn't patch the bullet holes or remove the scorch marks. Visual evidence of the heavy fighting we went through will help to convince the Council that we're telling the truth." she gave the Chief a smile and a slight nod, receiving something very close to a beaming grin in return, although the grin slowly shifted into a frown as the rest of Shepard's words registered.

                "What do you mean, ma'am? Surely our reports and that of a reputable Spectre are enough to convince them of what happened?" she asked, concerned, and Shepard gave a short, bitter bark of laughter, shaking her head slightly.

                "One would think, but Saren is one of their best, and apparently most loyal, agents. It would be like Admiral Hacket being accused of treason by some random turian soldier. Not going to be taken very seriously." Nimue explained, trying to present it in such a way that the Marines could understand the Council's point of view, and all three nodded slowly, frowns still present.

                "There is also the fact that I am well-known for speaking out in support of Humanities' advancement in Council Space." the Spectre said wryly, with a flex of his mandibles that equated to a human eye-roll. "The Council isn't too fond of me for my "human sympathizing" at the moment, so they will be looking at my report through...a different lens, so to speak."

                "That's so stupid! If Admiral Hackett was accused, like you said ma'am, then we would still hold an investigation." Alenko protested. "I mean, no one would take the charge seriously, but we wouldn't ignore it either!"

                "Ah, but therein lies the problem." Nihlus sighed. "Whilst your Office of Naval Intelligence has the authority to look into any records or networks they need to for such a charge, Spectre operatives and their movements are classified Council Eyes Only. So the investigation the C-sec is performing will turn up absolutely nothing, because they don't even have the clearance to request his data, never mind unedited versions of it."

                "So, in other words, the Council is going to whitewash us and he will walk away scot-free?" Williams growled angrily, clenching her fists tightly as her eyes darkened in rage. Something that somehow made her even more beautiful, Nimue mused to herself absently for a moment.

                "Yes indeed, Chief, but we still have to try. Hopefully, we will be able to find more evidence or pressure the Council into releasing his records." she said aloud, receiving a firm nod from her Marines and the turian equivalent of a raised eyebrow from Nihlus.

Further discussion was put to a halt as the _Normandy_ finished its transition into real-space in a flash of blue lighting. orienting itself under Joker's skillful hands, the ship banked and stooped into the light purple haze of the Widow Nebula, diving its way to the heart. Soon enough came the awe-inspiring sight that was The Citadel. With an estimated gross weight of over seven billion metric tons, nearly fifty kilometers in length and thirteen in width , it was the single largest artificial construct in space, dwarfing even the mass relays by a significant margin. Inside it's five, massive arms, over thirteen million sentient beings went about their daily lives. Every advanced race in the galaxy had a presence there, and it showed.

As the small, fleet frigate flitted through the massive, Turian-dominated defensive fleets, the people in the cockpit found themselves getting a "close" view of the _Destiny Ascension_ , pride and joy of the Asari Republics, and the most powerful ship in space. With a crew of ten thousand and nearly twice the length of an average dreadnought, the massive Asari warship was capable of engaging nearly a half-dozen mid- or heavy-tonnage ships single-handed.

                "Damn, look at the size of that thing's main gun! It could tear a whole through any other ship out there!" Ashley said excitedly, moving to a window to get a better look.

                "The _Destiny Ascension_ , the only one of its kind. People say it has as much firepower as the rest of the Asari fleets combined." Alenko said from where he remained leaning against a wall, seemingly unimpressed.

                "Hmph, size isn't everything." Joker grumbled from his seat, and Ashley looked over at the back of his dead with a sly grin.

                "Oh~? Why so touchy, Joker?" she teased, and he grumbled softly for a minute before speaking again.

                "I'm just saying, you need firepower too." he stated, and the other people in the cockpit snorted or exchanged amused looks.

                "What part of "as much firepower as the rest of the Asari fleets combined" did you not hear, Joker?" Nimue asked, highly entertained by her pilot's loyalty to his ship and disdain for other, apparently "lesser", ships.

The pilot very maturly refused to answer, instead opening a comm line to the Citadel.

                "Citadel control, this is the _SSV Normandy_ , requesting approach vector and berth." he said, and after a moment the distinctive flanging voice of a Turian returned.

                _"IFF confirmed,_ Normandy. _Transferring you to the Alliance Tower, they will take your from here."_ the other male told the human pilot had moment to prepare himself before another, female human's voice came across the radio.

                _"_ Normandy, _this is Alliance Tower. Please proceed to Docking Bay 442."_ it instructed, and Joker again acknowledged the command before clearing the channel and deftly guiding the ship towards the designated docking cradle. The ship shuddered slightly before stilling completely as the magnetic docking clamps locked down onto her hull, and the status light over the airlock blinked from red to green as the boarding tube locked and sealed against the external hatch.

"Well done, Joker." Shepard patted the pilot on the shoulder (very gently, aware as she was of his condition) and looked over at the ground team. "Alright Ladies and Gents, let's be about it."

                "Bring me back a souvenir, Commander!" the pilot called as the group made their way into the airlock and waited patiently for the ship VI to tell them they were allowed to disembark. Making their way down the walkway and into the small elevator, Shepard resisted the urge to sigh as it ponderously began its descent.

                "We can send a ship halfway across the galaxy, but we can't make our elevators move faster than this?" she grumbled aloud. "Honestly, I thought that the elevator on the _Normandy_ was slow, but this..!"

                "Think of it as training in patience, Commander." Nihlus said dryly, a slight smirk on his features. "Otherwise, you'll go insane."

Nimue resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him and settled for simply huffing in annoyance as she folded her arms across her chest. Nearly two minutes later, the elevator finally came to a halt and the glass door slid down, disgorging the ground team into the heart of Citadel Security Headquarters. Turian, Asari, Salarian, and even a few Humans in the blue on black uniforms of C-sec were either moving to and fro, or standing and talking with civilians of all ages and races.

                "Commander, I'm going to go report in to the Council. Take that elevator up, take a right, and you'll be at the embassies. Meet your human Ambassador there." Nihlus told her, pointing to the elevator directly across from the one they had just exited. "I'll see you at the hearing."

                "Thanks, Nihlus." Nimue responded with a smile, gesturing to her Marines for them to follow her as she ascended the steps to the second elevator. The smile faded as they entered the vicinity of the Embassies. She despised dealing with politicians, but Udina was a special kind of slime ball. A hard-core Terra Firma backer, something everyone "knew" but had no solid evidence for, he had been pushing hard and nigh on abrasively for Humanity to have a bigger role in Citadel affairs. Honestly, in her opinion, he gave Humanity a whole a very bad name, and his conduct was the basis of a fair amount of prejudice against her race by the others.

However, he was also very good at what he did, doing far more to advance Humanities' interests on the galactic scale than his predecessor. If not for his bulldog-like stubbornness, she would never be under evaluation to be the first ever human Spectre. She was woman enough to admit he had uses and that he was damn good at them. Didn't mean she couldn't abhor him all the same.

The door hissed open almost silently as she approached it, to see, Captain Anderson and Udina speaking together quietly on the balcony that overlooked the Presidium gardens.

                "What is all of this? Did you bring your entire crew, Captain?" the bald-headed politician grumbled, looking over the battered armor and tired-looking soldiers who wore it with a disdainful expression.

                "Only the ground team from Eden Prime, Ambassador. First hand accounts may help to sway this to our favor." Anderson responded evenly, his distaste for the man beside him apparent to Shepard, though she doubted anyone who didn't know him as well as she did could pick up on it.

                "Hmph, very well. Come along Captain, you and I need to get there first. Commander, take exactly 10 minutes to arrive." Udina commanded imperiously, striding from the room. Anderson rolled his eyes heavenward for a moment before following.

                "Ugh, that's our representative to the Citadel races? No wonder everyone hates Humanity." Nirali grumbled after the door buzzed shut, and there was a round of chuckles at that.

                "Udina's a snake, but a smart one. I just wish I didn't have to deal with him." Shepard replied honestly, shaking her head. "I always feel like I need a bath afterwards."

                "You've met him before, Commander?" Kaiden asked, and Shepard nodded with a grimace. "What happened?"

                "Oh, he was at all of those awards ceremonies I had to go to, talking oh so loudly about how he knew how capable I was all along, and how I was proof of Humanity's strength, and generally trying to make himself look like my best friend."  she explained, turning towards the door. "regardless, we've got a job to do. Come on."

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                "-need a little bit more time! I know he is hiding something, just let me find it!" a youthful Turian voice was saying angrily as the quartet of humans ascended yet another staircase towards the Council Chambers. The sight that greeted them was both intriguing and amusing.

A young Turian C-sec officer was arguing with an older one that Shepard recognized as Executor Palin, the organizations Head. Their body language made it clear what each was feeling. The younger was angry and anxious, arms and mandible shifting agitatedly, while the older was rocked back on a heel, arms crossed, and an incredibly bored expression on his face.

                "Garrus, he's a _Spectre,_ of course he is hiding something." the elder said condescendingly, clearly wanting to dismiss the subject, but the younger forged ahead with admirable stubbornness.

                "Just give me a little more time! Stall the Council! I can prove he is a traitor!"

                "Stall the Council, are you mad?" the elder said in disbelief, something that the humans had to agree with him on. One doesn't simply "stall" the three highest-ranking beings in the galaxy. "Garrus, your investigation is over. Report back to HQ."

The now-named Garrus was left staring at the back of his boss as the latter walked away too tasks unknown, taloned fists clenched with suprresed anger. Shaking his head and sighing, he let his hands fall limp and turned to head down the stairs. His eyes met Shepard's own and lit up immediately, and he hastened over to her, one arm offering it's hand to shake.

                "You must be Commander Shepard. Officer Garrus Vakarian, C-sec." he said eagerly, and Shepard accepted his offered hand gingerly, eyeing the talons that tipped his fingers, before shaking it firmly.

                "What was that all about?" she inquired, and he scoffed slightly.

                "I was assigned to look in to Saren, but I got nowhere. Since he is a Spectre, everything he touches, breaths on, or even glances at is classified Council Eyes Only. I'm obviously not a member of the Council, so..." he responded with another despondent sigh, shaking his head. "I know he is into something dirty, I can feel it, but I can't prove it. Not yet, anyway, but I will get proof somehow."

                "If you do so, come find me. Believe me when I say I am as eager for some proof as you are." Shepard said firmly, and the Turian had started to walk away when Ashley's voice stopped him.

                "Why are you helping humans over a fellow alien, as a Turian no less?" her tone was incredulous, which is all that kept Shepard for reprimanding her for her rudeness. She admitted, this was a question she wouldn't mind hearing the answer too.

                "Because Saren is a traitor to both the Council and our race. It's my duty and obligation both as a C-sec officer and as a Turian to bring him to justice." he said simply, no offense coloring his tone, before turning and walking away. Shepard turned her gaze to William's and saw that the younger woman was staring after the Turian with confusion marring her expression. Smiling lightly to herself, the Commander turned and continued up the stairs.

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                "The Geth attack is a matter of some concern, but there is no hard, irrevocable evidence that Saren was involved in any way." Tevos said calmly, noting that Shepard and three Alliance Marines were ascending the steps to stand at the entrance to the Petitioner's Platform.

                "Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your accusation of treason." Sparatus tacked on immediatly, and Tevos saw movement as Shepard strode forward onto the platform, Udina stepping aside almost instinctually to make room for the battle-armor clad woman.

                "With respect, members of the Council," she said, her voice ringing loud and clear in the massive confines of the Council Chambers. "How can Citadel Security gather evidence from files so highly classified that only the three of you have any access? Even Executor Palin himself cannot see any Spectre-class files, so it is of little consequence that Citadel Security turned up with nothing."

                "Precisely!" Udina butted in again, seizing the opening even as the watching spectators and journalists erupted into a low buzz of conversation. "You, the Council, refused to release his files! The investigation was clearly a farce, intended to find nothing so that you could continue to wield your greatest Spectre! One wonders why you don't want anyone knowing what he was up to! One might even wonder under whose authority he was at Eden Prime..."

The crowd erupted into far louder chatter, as everyone in the room or watching the live video understood what the Human Ambassador was implying: that the Council had ordered Saren to attack Eden Prime, and were trying to cover it up.

                "Ambassador Udina, that is totally out of line! This Council would never condone or command such a horrific crime!" Tevos yelled hotly, her usual cool broken by the insulting and abominable implication. How dare he suggest they would order such a thing! It would be against everything they stood for!

                "What else is Humanity to believe when one of our colonies is nearly razed and you refuse to truly investigate the instigator of the attack? What is Humanity to believe when you blatantly attempt to sweep the loss of thousands of innocent lives under the rug in order to protect your pet killer?" Udina thundered, wielding the crowds unrest-and the journalists presence- with frightening skill.

                "He's right! What are you hiding?" a voice shouted from one of the balconies, and other voices raised in agreement.

                "We of the Council are hiding nothing. The information in the Spectre archives is incredibly dangerous, and countless lives could be endangered or lost if the wrong person read them!" Valern said sharply, and Shepard stepped forward again, much to Tevos' trepidation. What could she say now?

                "On this we can all agree or understand, Councilor, but surely another Spectre could investigate! Surely you could trust your most elite of agents with this information! How can we, Humanity, place our safety and trust in your of the Council Races, if you do not even bother to investigate crimes against us?"

                "We've read the Eden Prime reports, Commander, yours and the rest. Your squad of Marines rescued Spectre Kryik from overwhelming Geth forces, something we of the Council thank you wholeheartedly for." Tevos said, attempting to make the charismatic human officer see reason. "However, Spectre Kryyik was heavily injured, and your squad readily admits that they didn't recognize the voice or distant sight of the Geth leader beyond the fact that it was a Turian. With no solid proof, or even reasonable doubt, we cannot place any credibility in Humanities accusations."

                "I resent these ludicrous accusations. Nihlus was my mentor, a fellow Spectre and a close friend." the massive holographic image of Saren growled, folding his arms over his chest as he stared down at the humans. "I'm not surprised to see _you_ of all humans here, Anderson. You always seem to be skulking about when _unsavory_ accusations are made against me. Your protégé must have learned that lesson, as well as that of _failure_."

                "I think my record speaks for itself, Saren." the human responded coldly, and Tevos noted the deliberate absence of his rank with an imperceptible sigh. She, personally, respected the Commander highly. Her conduct and record was beyond reproach, even with the horrific casualties her units had suffered on Akuze and Torfan, neither of which were truly her fault. She had accomplished more in the barely 30 years of life than most Asari had in centuries, racking up both an incredible personal kill count, but apparently succeeding at apparently impossible odds no matter the odds or the enemy. While the Council had yet to receive the declassified records of the suggested Spectre, she knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that they would impress her even more. However, despite all of that, the human was taking her admirable refusal to yield and using it to cause no end of trouble in this hearing. "And no matter what you may think of my Captain or myself, your blatant hatred towards Humanity does nothing to prove your innocence in this attack."

                "Ha! Your race is barely ready to traverse the stars. You are unworthy of being a Spectre!" Saren sneered back, and Udina immediately spoke up.

                "He has no right to say that! It's not his decision!" the Ambassador yelled angrily, and Tevos sighed, holding up a hand.

                "the purpose of this hearing has no connection to that subject." she said firmly, and Saren scoffed derisively.

                "This hearing has no purpose. The humans are wasting all of our times, Councilor." he said, crossing his arms contemptuously. Tevos made a mental note to chastise him for his blatant rascisim-perhaps send a copy of Shepard's records to him?-before glancing at Valern, who shook his head slightly. A look to Sparatus yielded the same result, and she faced the humans again.

                "Commander, in light of the lack of evidence gathered by C-sec, we find it impossible to uphold your charge of treason. This hearing is concluded." she declared, ignoring the discontented muttering that filled the room at the decision. As the crowds dispersed, she raised her voice again. "Commander, if you and your Marines could please come to my quarters, I would appreciate it."

She received startled and questioning looks from almost everyone, though the Commander only narrowed her eyes slightly before nodding in acquiescence.

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                "What do you think the Asari wants, ma'am?" Ashley asked softly as they rode the elevator back down towards the Embassies, where they could be directed towards Tevos' personal offices.

                "I don't know, but if she thinks she can convince me to let this go, she has another thing coming." Nimue said tightly, expression intensely calm. The door buzzed open, the team rounded the corner, and Nirali shrieked excitedly.

                "SAMESH! SAMESH!" she cried gleefully, rushing past to throw herself at Indian man waiting in the lobby, who caught her and spun her around, laughing, despite the weight of her battle-armor.

                "Nirali's husband, ma'am, he must have heard about Eden Prime and gotten on the first ship here." Ashley told her softly, explaining the spectacle before them (which now constituted of a very passionate kiss that had passers-by laughing, applauding, or even wolf-whistling).

                "Servicemen Bhatia!" Nimue snapped, causing the Marine to snap away from her husband and salute, worry in both their eyes. After a moment of letting them stew, she smiled broadly and saluted. "Consider yourself off-duty for the foreseeable future, while we get things figured out."

                "Thank you very much, ma'am!" the Servicemen said happily, grabbing her husband's hand and dragging him away, chattering excitedly. Nimue chuckled, shaking her head as she looked at the two remaining Marines. Seeing the looks directed at her, she shrugged.

                "What?"

                "That was...really cool of you ma'am, letting her do that." Ashley admitted, sounding almost embarrassed to say it. Kaiden nodded in agreement, more comfortable with expressing his opinion, and Shepard shrugged.

                "He came all this way just to make sure the woman he loves is okay. They deserve to have as much time together as they can." she said simply, hailing a cab. The trio slid in, and Nimue keyed in their destination. Moments later, they were racing through the "sky" above the Citadel, heading for the most #########################################

                "Lady Tevos, there are three Alliance Marines here, they say you wanted to talk to them?" the leader of the elite Commando squad assigned to her quarters, and Tevos blinked, looking away from the report she was reading from Tela Vasir on the Batarian slavers ring she had just wiped out.

                "Oh, yes. Please, send them up, Aryana." she replied, turning off the screen to her terminal. A few minutes later, the three Marines entered the office, their weapons gone, and both the Commander and the male Marine had biotic-dampening bracelets on. "Welcome. Please, have a seat."

The trio of humans sat in the very comfortable armchairs across from her, and she folded her hands on her desktop as she regarded them. The male seemed alert and interested, glancing about her office curiously, while the younger female-Williams, if she recalled correctly from the reports on the Sith'ari- was tense, sittign bolt upright and staring at her with distrust and thinly veiled hostility. Groaning mentally, she recalled what she had read on these humans hours before. Wiliams was the granddaughter of General Williams, the "only human to surrender to an alien", and whose entire family had been ostracized because he had been unwilling to sacrifice tens of thousands of lives by continuing to fight. Hopefully, young Ashley would learn that not all aliens were like the fools who had bombed Shanxi.

The Commander was the most fascinating to her, for several reasons. she, like the Gunnery Chief, was what Tevos thought of as attractive, with a grace that belied her deadly prowess as a warrior, and the bearing of a leader who had seen Hell itself and survived. Her green eyes were bright and unyielding as she stared back at Tevos evenly, her scarlet hair (something she understood was a rarity among humans, especially when combined with her eye color) neat but not cut short.

                "Thank you for coming, Commander, and you as well, Gunnery Chief and Lieutenant." she said courteously, and all three dipped there heads slightly in acknowledgment.

                "Of course, Councilor, thought one can only wonder why you requested what you did." Shepard said calmly, eyes steady, and Tevos hummed as she nodded.

                "In truth, there is no singular reason. First and foremost, I want to assure you that what Councilor Udina suggested is by no means true. If Spectere Arterius did in fact lead the attack on Eden Prime," she ignored the soft scoff from Williams and forged ahead. "Then he did so without the knowledge or authorization of the Council. The deliberate harm of civilians is forbidden and harshly punished at our behest."

                "Yet your Turian friends bombed entire cities flat in an effort to enslave our race." Williams butted in coldly, hatred seething beneath her voice, and Tevos winced slightly. It was true, the Turian fleets had bombed entire city blocks from orbit to kill single Marine fire teams.

                "While that is true, the instigators were harshly punished, as I might remind you. Life imprisonment in a Asari military prisons." she pointed out, and she could see Ashley bite back a scathing comeback, settling back in her seat as the Commander leaned forward.

                "Regardless of your assurances, any attempt to coerce me into abandoning my investigation into Saren will be met with overwhelming failure."

Tevos fought back the urge to sigh and rub her eyes, maintaining outwards composure only through years of practice. Goddess, this human was infuriating! A rather large part of her really rather enjoyed having someone who wouldn't roll over and play dead, a rarity indeed, but at this moment it was becomign a headache.

                "May I speak to the Commander in private please?" she requested after a prolonged silence, and both Marines started to open their mouths in protest, when the raised hand of the Commander silenced them.

                "Alenko, Williams, wait outside." she commanded softly, and both rose to their feet hesitantly, as if afraid to leave their Commander alone with her. Alenko graced her with a slight, terse nod, whilst Williams simply scowled at her and nearly stomped away. Once hte door hissed shut behind them, Tevos leaned back in her chair with a sigh.

                "Commander, may I call you Nimue?" she asked softly after a moment, and the Commander raised an eyebrow before nodding slightly. She could tell she had the other woman's curiosity piqued now. "Good, please call me Tevos in private from now on."

                "In private, Coun-Tevos?" Nimue asked, correcting hersefl partway through after Tevos shot her a look.

                "Yes. While you are not yet a Spectre, I want you to know that I support your recommendation to the post-" Tevos said warmly, and Nimue shot to her feet, eyes blazing with jade fire as she snarled.

                "I will not be bought, Tevos!" she hissed angrily, catching Tevos by surprise, before she winced belatedly, realizing that is what her comment could be perceived as.

                "And I am not trying to buy you, Nimue. I have read your file, what little of it the Alliance has sent thus far, and I believe you would be a powerful asset to the Spectres and to all the Citadel Space." she said calmly, holding up her hands in a placating gesture, and Shepard sunk back into her seat with a muttered apology. which she accepted with a regal nod. "The wording I used was easily misunderstood, for which I beg pardon. However, what I was going to say is that I do not desire to pressure you into stopping your investigation into Saren. While I fully believe he is innocent, I am willing to accept the minute possibility that he isn't. Proving it shall be your task. Bring us proof, and the Council will act accordingly. My-our-earlier decision was nothing personal, but you simply lacked the solid proof that would be needed to support the charge of treason."

                "My earleir point stands, Tevos. He is a Spectre, finding proof of him doing so much as taking a shower is impossible, even with eye-witness accounts." Nimue said dryly, and Tevos surprised her with a slight chuckle at that.

                 "Indeed, Nimue, but not all channels of information are official. A Spectre has a network of allies and information, both known and not, legal and...otherwise." Tevos said meaningfully, nodding slightly when Nimue's eyes widened slightly in understanding. "Find your proof, Commander, if there is any to find."

Understanding the dismissal clearly, Nimue rose to her feet and inclined her head in a slight bow, one which Tevos returned, before retreating through the door to her waiting team members. Long after she had gone, Tevos sat reclined in her chair, thinking intently about the woman whom she had just spoken so candidly with.

                "Show me, Nimue Shepard." she murmured softly, looking out the massive windows overlooking the Citadel's landscape. "Show me if you have what is needed..."

#################################################

                _"We must stop the Cycle, My Love. You have seen what I ahve seen, what we all saw."_ Aay'han said softly as their fighters pierced through the atmosphere of what the current races called Anjea. _"We need fleets, armies, tens of thousands under arms! We must go to Sanctum!"_

 _"Not yet! We must first aid Shepard. You sense what I do about her. We must ensure that she can hold the line until we return! It is she who holds the key to all of our fates!"_ Kom'rk replied firmly as the icy ground split before them, revealing a long, metallic tunnel, which they soared into with care. Carefully alighting their fighters on the landing pad at the end, they stood before a massive and ornate door like that which had bared the entrance to their own crypt.  
                _"You intend to make her yours, My Love?"_ Aay'han asked softly, no condemnation or sorrow in her voice, and Kom'rk hummed, caressing her Force Presence softly with his own.

                _"Ours, My Love, if she would have us."_ he responded just as softly, and she smirked at him from behind her mask.

                _"She and many others, I think. There could be many who are even fractionally worthy of you."_ she laughed, keying the door open. The pair stepped over the threshold and paused as lights after light snapped on, revealing a passive room filled with hundreds, thousands, of large metallic pods, arranged in orderly rows. Finally, the last set flickered to life, revealing a massive statue of an armored figure wielding a sword beneath an even more massive banner depicting a flame-wreathed bird, wings outspread, rising from a shadowy planet.

                _"This...this is the first step_." Kom'rk said, looking over the sight with a smile.

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Yeah, that's a wrap. Long as fuck, all things considered, but since this story is something I am really enjoying,  I'm just going for it, you know? Same shipiel, make sure to review, yada yada yada.


	4. The Hunt Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which The Council Looks Stupid...Again. And In Which Saren Starts Running

As an aside, there is no definitive source that says how old Wrex is, but it is my belief that, from the conversations you have with him, that he was alive during and fought in the Krogan Rebellions, even if it was towards the end. Therefore, the Wrex in this story is going to be extremely old, powerful, and skilled. Remember, the game 'nerfed' the characters during gameplay to keep the game fun. Story wise, for example, a Commander Shepard that held the line on Elysium wouldn't die to a paltry group of three Geth. In the game, you can. Story wise, Wrex and Aleena (aka Aria T'Loak) wiped out an entire space station of highly trained and capable mercsby themselves, while fighting each other.

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Mass Effect: War of Ages

Book One: Dawn of War

Chapter Four

The Hunt Begins

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Kaiden and Ashley both started as their Commander came sweeping from the Asari Councilor's office, eyes speculative but expression and gait determined. Both found themselves having to jog to catch up with her as she forged ahead, raising a hand over her shoulder to signal them to follow her.

"What's going on, Commander?" Ashley asked, concerned. Whatever the Asari had said, the Commander had clearly been affected, but not negatively. It made her wonder just what had happened after she and the LT had been asked to leave the room.

"We need to find that Turian C-sec officer, Garrus Vakarian." She said as she summoned a cab to the Human Embassy. "I'm willing to BET Anderson or Udina will know where we can find out his location."

"Hoping he can help us find evidence on Saren, Shepard?" Kaiden asked curiously, and she nodded absently as they climbed into the car.

"I don't like asking an alien for help catching him, but Vakarian did seem dead-set on catching Saren, even more passionate about it than Anderson was." Ashley mused, her ingrained xenophobia at war with her own sense of self-honesty, which told her that the young officer had been honest about his loathing of Saren and his desire to bring the SPECTRE to justice.

"Indeed he did, Chief, indeed he did." Shepard replied, making a mental note to ask Williams about her xenophobia. While she could guess where it came from, her grandfather's wise decision to surrender and save lives instead of fighting and wasting them, this hatred and distrust went far beyond blaming aliens for her family's admittedly ridiculous ostracization by the Systems Alliance. While she wasn't particularly fond of Batarians herself-a serious understatement, thanks to the events of Mindoir, Elysium, and Torfan- she tried very hard not to let it control her thoughts and reactions towards all aliens, not even towards all Batarians. The car was silent for several minutes as the car traversed the ever-constant , heavy, but flowing air traffic that raced to and fro through the Citadel, until they landed with a soft thump back at the Embassies. Slapping the door control, Nimue rose fluidly to her feet and led her two Marines past the Asari at the front desk, and up the stairs to the Human Embassy, the door of which slid open with a barely discernible hiss to reveal Anderson and Udina in the middle of a heated argument, which halted abruptly as the door chimed admittance.

"Ah, Commander. What did the Asari Councilor want?" Udina asked briskly as the pair turned to face the trio.

"She just wanted to assure me that it was nothing personal, but that we need solid evidence. She also assured me I have her support in becoming a SPECTRE." Nimue said broadly, keeping the Councilor's private encouragement and veiled hints about networking to herself. She wasn't sure why the Matriarch had done either, but she felt it was something to keep personal and private. Looking to Anderson, she CONTINUED. "I need to know who in C-Sec I can talk to about finding a specific officer, Garrus Vakarian. He was the officer in charge of investigating Saren and I think he will be quite the boon for my own hunt for proof."

"Well, there is one man. Dirty as they come, well on his way to getting discharged, but he always knew how to find people or items on the Citadel." Anderson said slowly, pulling up his Omni-Tool and sending a file to his protégé, which she opened with her own.

"Harkin, huh?" she mused, looking through his file.

"Yeah, you can probably find him in a dive called Chora's Den. God knows why, but it is popular enough to have a cab station just outside. He can tell you where to find Vakarian." Anderson told her with a grimace at the mention of both the man and the club. Clearly, neither were particularly pleasant things in his opinion, which gave the trio no pause, but did make them wary. Closing the file, Nimue saluted her mentor and gave a curt nod to the Ambassador before turning on her heels and departing the office at speed, her two subordinates mirroring her displays of respect before hastening after her.

As they were walking back through the lobby towards the cab station, Nimue noticed a distraught looking young woman wringing her hands and looking around intently. Starting towards the girl with intent to help, she found herself surprised when the young woman's eyes landed on her and widened. Dashing forward, the girl grabbed her gauntleted hand tightly.

"Commander Shepard, right? Commander Nimue Shepard of the Normandy?" she asked desperately, and Nimue nodded slowly, making the girl cry in relief. "Oh, thank God! I need your help!"

"What seems to be the problem?" Nimue inquired, and the woman seemed to droop sadly as she responded.

"My…my little brother was assigned to your ship. Richard Leeroy Jenkins?" she said, and all three Marine's eyes widened in surprise. Kaiden and Nimue had heard the rookie Marine sing his older sister Isabella's praises many times. From what the kid had said, she was one of the youngest people to get a degree in astrophysics and quantum physics in decades, and was now a fairly high-ranking researcher at a military R&D think-tank.

"You must be Isabella then. I'm sorry about your brother. He died saving dozens of lives. I only wish that I could have saved his." She said, feeling the weight of her returning guilt weighing her down. The young woman smiled at her tremulously as she replied.

"It's not your fault, Commander. He was fighting to protect his home. That's why he signed up." Her lips trembled for a moment before she rallied admirably and visibly pulled herself together. All three Marines found their respect for the young woman grow. She had significant steel in her soul, and would have made a damn fine Marine had she been so inclined. "Anyway, I have two things to ask of you. One, I want to join your crew. I want to help you find the people who killed my brother and our homeworld, and punish them for it." She declared, and the three Marine's gaped at her declaration, something she ignored as she CONTINUED. "And, I want you to help me get my brother's body back."

"What do you mean? It should have been delivered to his living family members after the ME's performed an autopsy and preserved it for burial." Nimue frowned, deciding to address the first request after she figured out why her Marine wasn't back with his family one last time.

"That's just it ma'am. Another R&D team had it confiscated, said that it would help them develop better defenses against Geth weapons. I'm all for our people being better protected, but I will be damned if they cut my brother up and use him as some goddamn guinea pig!" Isabella responded with fire in her eyes, and Nimue's expression darkened. While she probably would normally support the R&D unit looking to improve her comrades' safety, and knew Jenkins would probably want the same, she wanted her Marine, a young man who had given his life so valiantly, to at least be able to rest in peace, and for his family to have closure. A quick glance showed that Ashley supported her strongly, though no doubt with the same minor quibbling over what fruits the research could bear, while Kaiden seemed reluctant. No doubt a product of the Jump Zero debacle, he was probably leaning towards research being done to make other people's lives better.

"I'll handle things, Miss Jenkins. Personally. Who do I need to talk to?" she said, voice firm, and Isabella beamed at her happily with grateful tears.

"Thank you so much, Commander! The representative of the think tank is in the Embassy Café, back the way you came and all the way at the end of the hallway. A clerk named Bosker, going to be wearing fairly dressy clothes, not that that will set him apart in there. About the height of your friend here, with dirty blonde hair." The female Jenkins explained, gesturing to Kaiden as she described the man they were looking for. Nodding in understanding, Nimue led her squad back up the stairs and down the hallway into the Lounge. It wasn't hard to spot Bosker, even amongst the other finely dressed patrons of the small establishment. Isabella had described him well.

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Bosker gulped as he saw the three heavily armed and armored, battle-scarred marines striding towards him, armored boots ringing loudly on the pristine metallic floor. Despite his own, personally clean record, the sight immediately had him mentally panicking, wondering what he could have inadvertently done that was bad enough for an N7 Commando and two Marines to be sent after him. Hell, he didn't even have a shop-lifting conviction on his record! Sure, he went on an "adult" site every once and a while, and maybe he had pirated a few songs (well, a few hundred) but who hadn't?! Had anyone else been able to read his mind, they would have been deeply amused by his wild speculation.

"Mr. Bosker?" the Commando asked, and at his hesitant nod she folded her hands behind her back. "Mr. Bosker, my name is Commander Shepard," he gasped softly at the name, which she ignored in addition to the reactions of the other patrons who had overheard her introduction. She was, after all, a fairly famous figure in Citadel Space, even more so amongst humans. "and I would like to speak with you about Corporal Jenkins."

"Ah, I understand." Bosker sighed in relief that he didn't seem to be in any trouble, and shook his head a little sadly. "Believe me when I saw I understand Miss Jenkin's feelings about wanting to be able to bury her brother, especially with what just happened to their homeworld, but the fact of the matter is that he died fighting the Geth. The Geth haven't been seen or actively fought in nearly three centuries. The information that we could gain from Corporal Jenkins' cadaver and from his armor is literally unimaginable. We could save thousands, tens of thousands of lives with improvements to weapons, armor, and shielding systems through our research into his death. Surely he would want his noble sacrifice to serve and even greater good to keep others from the same fate?"

"You make a good argument, Mr. Bosker, and I won't lie to you and say Jenkins wouldn't want to, I can also guarantee that after everything that happened on his homeworld, he would want his family to be able to find what solace and comfort they can in burying him instead of an empty casket. It is that kind of solace and comfort, that familial love and cherishment that I and my comrades fight to protect. I ask that you help us keep that fight worth it, Mr. Bosker. Let his family have their closure, and perhaps they will be willing to let you do your research afterwards."

"I…alright. It was hard enough saying no to his crying sister, I can't say it to you as well." The man finally mumbled, not sounding enormously put out by his decision, something that all three noticed. "Tell Miss Jenkins that her brother's body will be prepared for his final flight and that we will be in touch about the details."

"I will. Thank you for doing this, Mr. Bosker." The commando said with a small but honest smile, and the man blushed faintly as he looked down, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he nodded in silent reply. Clapping him, gently due to her strength and heavy armor, on the shoulder, Nimue turned about and strode from the Lounge again, leaving a relieved and somewhat happy Bosker and a curious group of onlookers. Straightening his already-straightened clothes carefully, Bosker strode from the room with equal purpose, intent on doing precisely what he said he would as promptly as possible.

##########################################

After being thanked profusely by an ecstatic and tearfully-grateful Isabella, as well as a renewed oath from the same to assist in hunting down Saren whether she liked it or not, Nimue was exiting another cab near the entrance to Chora's Den. Stepping into the archway that led to the small catwalked area before the club's doors, she hesitated upon spotting a half-dozen bare-faced Turians lingering about. Preparing her biotics, she stepped into view. All six turned towards her, weapons coming out of holsters and expanding into their combat-ready states.

"There she is! Take her out!" the apparent leader snapped to his fellows, and all six blazed away with their assault rifles at the trio, who were still within the archway. Their bullets splattered harmlessly against the blue-black disk of biotic energy the N7 projected in front of herself and her team as they advanced out of the archway, weapons filling the hands of her two Marines as they returned fire on their attackers, killing one quickly and injuring a second, they forced the somewhat surprised mercenaries to take cover. "Damn it! He didn't say anything about that level of biotic skills!"

"No human can keep that up for long! Overwhelm the barrier and their shields won't last for long against these new toys he gave us!" another of the assassins responded, hefting the Geth Pulse Rifle that their boss had provided. Every member of the six man team had been given either a Geth Shotgun or Pulse Rifle. Naturally, they expected the heavily modified and high-powered weapons to tear apart the shields and armor of their would-be victims in short order, but their employer had neglected to mention that the human commando called Shepard was a powerful biotic as well. There was a chorus of agreement from his fellows, and the leader silently gestured for the survivors to spread out and catch the humans in a crossfire.

Unfortunately for them, Nimue wasn't nearly as stupid as Saren, and these mercs, seemed to think she was. Ducking into cover, she allowed her barrier to dissipate, her reserves taxed, and opened her comms.

"Alenko, Williams, push left. I'll handle the right side." She ordered determinedly, getting surprised looks from her Marines. Williams herself looked ready to protest, concern for her filling her warm brown eyes, but they both nonetheless obeyed her orders and began crouch-walking along the solid barrier around the pit that dominated the center of the area, taking care to stay out of sight, and the crosshairs, of their attackers. Taking a deep breath, Nimue holstered her assault rifle and drew her two heavily modded Predator pistols, hefting them to rest parallel to her upper arms. Closing her eyes for a moment, she centered herself, calming her mind and soul, before spinning up out of cover. The world seemed to slow, as it always did when she did this, and her pistols thundered, sending heavy armor-piercing rounds towards her target at twice the rate of a normal Predator. Her first target went down with a short, strangled scream that ended abruptly milliseconds after it started as her first volley slammed into him, chest cavity disintegrated under the barrage. Her spine tingled, and she followed the instinctive reaction to the danger she felt moments later, leaning backwards and half-turning in a backstep as a short burst from the assassin leader screamed through the air she had just been occupying. Her guns never stopped firing despite her evasion, tracking left despite the angle of her body to begin hammering his shields, before he used a tech skill to reinforce them and duck into cover. Keeping one pistol putting rounds into his cover and above his head, her other weapon moved sideways to put a little crossfire onto the enemies attacking Kaiden and Ashley, though they were handling things just fine, having killed one of their three targets. Her own rounds dispersed another's shield, and Alenko's shotgun boomed, sending the turian flying back in a welter of gore. The telltale beeping of her pistols finally overheating caused her to curse in annoyance, and her hands flew to her hips as she holstered them and threw herself around the corner just as the assassin leader began to rise and return fire. Her shields beeped in warning as his Geth rounds battered them to nothingness, but she was on him before they fell completely. Dropping his own rifle, he began to block and parry her punches and return with some of his own.

Nimue gritted her teeth as she found herself having to give some ground, a feat that not many had been able to accomplish since her sensei and N School instructors. This turian was no run-of-the-mill merc, that was for damn sure. He fought like a combat veteran, and not the kind of veteran who was used to bumping off lightly guarded freighters or picket ships. No, he was probably turian spec-ops at one point, recruited by Saren, who was not doubt a former war-buddy.

Gotta love old war-buddies. Nimue thought sourly with an external grimace as a rather powerful punch slammed into her breastplate, knocking some air from her lungs, and she responded with an elbow strike to one of his mandibles, something she knew was akin to being hit on the funny-bone in humans. Not really damaging, but painful, distracting, and debilitating for a few moments. And in a fight between soldiers, a few seconds is all that is needed. Her next three blows battered aside his now-feebler defenses and her fourth slammed into his throat, crushing it. He collapsed, gasping silently for air that he would never get, and she put a bullet into his head quickly. Enemy though he may be, asphyxiation was a cruel death she would wish on very few people. Moving over to the merc they had injured in the first moments of the firefight, she kicked the pistol she weakly tried to point in her direction from his hand and pinned him down with a biotic field.

"Don't try anything stupid, it won't do you a damn bit of good, buddy." She said bluntly, crouching down next to him as Kaiden and Ashley came over to join her. "Now, you want to tell me why Saren was stupid enough to try something this blatant?"

"Who…said anything…about Saren?" the turian hacked with a smirk, and she rolled her eyes at him in annoyance. "All I can say…is that you and your companions…are worth a fair bit of scratch…as corpses."

"Well, rest knowing that you won't be the only ones trying and failing to claim the prize." Nimue told him coldly, pulling out her omni-tool. "C-Sec Dispatcher, this is Commander Nimue Shepard, Alliance Marines. I want to report a shooting near Chora's Den. Five dead mercenaries, one injured and subdued. Please send a team down to take care of things, I have a time sensitive-mission that needs to be handled and bring my team by for a report afterwards."

"Comfirmed, Commander Shepard. A C-Sec squad will secure the scene for the MEs." The dispatcher responded, sounding fairly tired, before the line went dead. Looking back at the still living Merc, she looked at Kaiden.

"Alenko, keep our 'friend' here from doing something stupid, like trying to run or eat a bullet. He might be useful. Williams and I will handle Harkin." She said, full-aware that his file described him as possessing "a lewd, sexist, and demeaning attitude towards females, and is especially contemptuous of women in the armed services." She would make use of his inevitable insults to…encourage him to tell her what she wanted to know. She had no patience or kindness for men like Harkin.

"Aye, Commander." Alenko saluted respectfully and took her place watching the prisoner while she led Williams towards the door, which slid open, revealing an old and heavily-scarred krogan of truly massive size arguing with two younger and smaller of his race.

"Get lost, Wrex. Fist doesn't want to warn you again." One of them said, and the now-named Wrex grinned menacingly, baring his teeth and chuckling deeply and darkly.

"Fist, warn me? I think you should warn him that there is a price on his head, one I intend to collect. If you whelps think you can stop me the next time I come here for the job, you're even stupider than you look, impossible though it may sound." He retorted, voice holding no threat but the utter certainty of a promise as he turned to the door and noticed the two human females blocking it. "Move."

They parted, watching the living tank trundle away, the ground shaking slightly at his passing. The two younger krogan spared them little more than a casual glance as they went back to being bouncers, leaving the pair to find a drunken Harkin staring lustfully at one of the Asari dancers, who didn't even bother to spare the mostly-bald degenerate a glance. When Nimue and Ashley impeded his view, he grumbled under his breath before looking them up and down.

"Hey there, sweethearts, looking for some fun?Always wanted a two for one deal. I gotta say, those soldier getups look real good on those bods of yours…" he leered, giving them a lewd once over that made Ashley twitch for her gun and Nimue's eyes narrow. "Why don't you sit your sweet little asses down beside old Harkin and have a drink?"

"Why don't I beat the ever living shit out of you, moron." Shepard sneered in reply, and Harkin glared at her.

"Listen you dyke bitch, why don't you take your butch girl-friend and…" was as far as he got before Nimue grabbed his head and slammed it into the table twice, before grinding it a little and tossing him back in his chair.

"Listen, needle dick, my sexuality isn't what were gonna be talking about. What you're gonna do is tell me all about where I can find GarrusVakarian, and I might decide not to let my Chief have a few hits of her own." The N7 said with a smirk as she folded her arms and settled her weight on her back leg.

"Who the fuck do you think you are bitch?" he snarled, fumbling for his C-Sec badge, which he waved at her. "I'm fucking C-Sec, you get that? I'm gonna lock you up and fucking pound your bitch ass into a prison whore…!"

The C-Sec badge was removed from his grasp, crushed by a gauntleted fist, and his face once again was introduced to the table at speed. This time, there was a satisfying crunch as his nose broke.

Guess nobody really likes this asshole. Ashley mused, looking around to see the scene basically being ignored, although her Commander's N7 markings and the arsenal they both carried might have helped with that. Satisfied that no one else was going to attack them from behind, she returned her gaze to the gratifying and rather attractive sight of the Dragon of Elysium "questioning" Harkin.

"And maybe you were too busy trying to stare through my armor at my tits, but you must have missed the N7 logo on my breastplate. I'm a commando, Harkin, by the name of Commander Shepard. This means," said Dragon continued, smirking at Harkin's flinch and wide-eyed stare as she revealed her name and N designation to the drunken lout. "That if you say a damn thing you will not only be ignored, but laughed out of the room. Now stop moaning like a little bitch and tell me what I want to know."

"Vakarian went to visit some bitch named Michael, Chloe Michael. She has a health clinic in the market sector. Heard something about some Quarian teen having dirt on Saren. Heard there were some people after the girl, too." The male finally groaned, and Nimue whipped around, eyes excited as they met Ashley's, who nodded to her sharply and opened her comms.

"Alenko, get the C-Sec guys to lend us a squad car, we need to get to the market sector immediately. Drop Shepard's name if you have to, or the Council's, just get it done." The Chief snapped, voice crisp and firm despite ordering around what was technically her superior, and Nimue gave her a pleased smile for her confidence and initiative. She had been planning on a cab, but a C-Sec vehicle would be faster and more direct.

Moments later, all three holding on to their seats as their C-Sec driver, a turian female named Solona, weaved the patrol car in and out of the aerial traffic in an impressive, if nerve-wracking, display of high-speed manouvers. Solona explained that C-Sec couldn't just lend out their cars, but the need seemed great enough for them to take the fastest route, thus her driving them there.

The taxi barely settled onto the ground before the three Marines were forming up outside the clinic and hearing the raised voices inside. Nimue nodded to Alenko, who slapped the door control, and the two female Marines swept into the room, assault rifles ready and tracking. Inside, they found a young human doctor being threatened by a group of human thugs. The moment they saw the Marines, one of the thugs grabbed the doctor in a chokehold and put the gun to her head.

"Alliance Marines, let the woman go." Shepard ordered coldly, eyes icy as she watched him and his associates for any sudden movement.

"I don't think so, jarhead. Moment I do that, you blow my head off. You can't risk hurting a hostage, so I think she stays right where she is." He sneered back, sounding far more confident than he probably was, and Nimue's eyes flicked sideways imperceptibly as she saw Vakarian slip in through the still opened door and move along a low wall towards where he could flank the group. Returning her attention to the thugs before they could notice the lapse, she responded.

"I swear you won't be harmed if you let her go and come without a fight, but the moment you try to harm that women, I will blow your head off. That's a promise. Take it or leave it." She offered one last time, and the man scoffed before speaking, sounding rather like Harkin.

"Two bitches and a pretty boy? I think me and my boys can take you. I bet you fucked your way to N7. Maybe we should have a go after we kill your hanger-on there." He pointed to Kaiden with his chin, and Nimue had to resist rolling her eyes. Honestly, some men were so fucking stupid. They assumed that she just slept her way to the top, instead of earning it with her own merits. She was still a virgin, for Christ's sake, but noooo! The moment they saw her rank and designation, they started questioning her virtue and morals. She resettled the grip of her gun and took a half step forward, and in that moment, Vakarian darted around the divider's corner and shot the hostage-holder in the head. Cursing, Nimue wrapped her in a protective Barrier while Kaiden and Ashley helped Garrus gun down the other thugs.

'Thanks for the help, Shepard, there is no way I could have taken them all down without Dr. Michael getting hurt, possibly badly." Vakarian said, holstering his pistol as he walked over to them.

"She could have gotten hurt anyway, Vakarian, with how boldly you attacked there." she pointed out, and he grimaced and gave the doctor an apologetic glance, to which she replied with the strongest smile she could muster. "Still, you did manage to eliminate the man holding her hostage quite handily. That was an impressive shot."

"Thank you, Commander. I take it you're here to ask what she knows about the Quarian girl with the evidence on Saren?" the young C-Sec officer asked, and recieved a firm nod in return. Humming in satisfaction, he turned to the doctor. "Chloe, what can you tell us about the Quarian who came to you for help? We need to get to her and the evidence she has, quickly."

"Well, I pointed her towards Fist, I heard from some of my patients that he works for the Shadow Broker." the doctor told them in her fairly thick, but rather attractive accent. The group of soldiers exchanged glances before thanking her and heading back outside the clinic as a second C-Sec squad arrived to take care of the second group of dead people that Commander Shepard had made in as many hours.

"Back to Chora's Den, Commander?" Ashley asked, sounding somewhat uncomfortable from where she walked between the N7 and Garrus.

"Negative, we need toatKrogan, Wrex. Fist is going to have forted up at this point, thanks to the shoot-out on his front stoop and that big bastard promising to come for his head. We might need the extra muscle."

"Wrex?UrdnotWrex, the BattleMaster?" Solona asked curiously as the group slid back into her squad car, recieving a noise of affirmation from the crimson-haired commando, and she laughed softly. At their curious looks, she elaborated. "Wrex is a legend in C-Sec. He's brought in to HQ everytime he sets foot on the Citadel for a warning and chest pounding from the higher-ups, but everyone knows it is jsut for show. One time, a platoon of 35 Eclipse mercs tried to take him out in one of the seedier wards, and he killed 'em all. These weren't rookies either, every one of them was wanted in a dozen systems for multiple murders. Ruthless single one of them. He tore them apart, soemtiems literally, with his bare hands, his biotics, and his shotgun."

"He's a biotic?" Nimue asked, suprised, There were not many Kroganbiotics around, for a multitude of reasons. Not the least of which that Tuchanka wasn't rich in oxygen, never mind eezo.

"A powerful one. Ever seen a millenia old KroganBattleMaster perform a Krogan Rage Charge when it is boosted by biotics that rival some Matriarchs?" the female turian said dryly, getting another shock from her passangers, even Garrus.

"He fought in the Krogan Rebellions? I knew he was old, and skilled, but..." Garrusbreathed, eyes wide in shock and voice awed. "With that much combat experience and biotic power, he could probably tear through most of C-Sec by himself."

"Like I said, whenever we bring him in, everyone knows that it is just for show." Solona laughed, racing towards C-Sec HQ. "Anyway, once you pick him up, you're on your own. Just, if you end up in another shootout, make sure we know? And keep the collateral damage to a minimum?"

"No promises, but we can try." Shepard huffed out a short laugh as the car landed in the C-Sec garage. Slipping out, she led the way up the steps and into the main foyer where, sure enough, the ancient Krogan was easily noticed in his battered scarlet armor. Solonapealed off, no doubt to file a report or somethign of the sort, while Vakarian followed the three humans towards their objective.

"...Fist says you;'ve been down there making a bunch of threats. Stay away from Chora's Den if you know what is good for you, Wrex." a junior, and therefore fairly stupid, human officer was saying to the being that was nearly twice his size, who looked more amused than angry.

"They weren't threats, they were promises. I am going to kill Fist, all he is doing is dragging things out and annoying me." the BattleMaster responded, voice filled with amusement.

"Do you want me to arrest you, Wrex?" the human narrowed his eyes, trying to appear threatening, but Wrex just let out a boom of laughter and bared hsi teeth in a grin at the young man, who back up a step at the sight.

"I would dearly love to watch you try." he retorted, before snorting in contempt as the human officcer said nothing and retreated with the shreads of his dignity. Turning away, the krogan noticed the team of humans standing close-by, and he grinned before rumbling over to them. "So, you're Shepard. Saw that group of pyjacks you took apart earlier today. Pretty impressive things, especially for a female."

"What, you think women can't fight as good as men?" Ashley hissed in annoyance, fed up with all the sexist comments she had been hearing today. Really, was everyone in Citadel Space a rude idiot?"

"Ha! You've got fire, girl. Nah, I aint stupid or arrogant enough to say that, but you don't see many women in my line of work that can do what you did. Most seduce their targets and kill them quietly. You, on the other hand, can do a stand-up fight. I like that. What can I do for you?"

"Going after Fist, he has some information that I need, and could use a walking tank. You in, old man?"Nimue asked with a smirk, and Wrex stared at her for a heartbeat, crimson eyes unyielding, and her subordinates nervously reached for weapons, thinking he might attack. Instead, Wrex boomed with laughter again, grinning broadly at Nimue.

"I like you, human! And you can damn well believe I'll come along, the Shadow Broker isn't happy that Fist betrayed him to work for Saren."

"Wait, what?" Nimue said, before snapping her fingers at Ashley and pointing to the cab terminal. The brunette saluted and sprinted to the terminal, rapidly entering commands. A confused Wrex glanced at Vakarian as they follwoed the humans towards the cabs, and the turian shrugged.

"Fist was going to help a Quarian girl with information that pegs Saren for treason get in touch with the Broker. If he works for Saren now, she's in trouble." he explained, and the krogan grunted in understanding as two cabs arrived.

##############################################################

Tevso groaned and put her head in her hands as yet another report of Shepard and her team, now including UrdnotWrex, and a young C-Sec officer by the name of GarrusVakarian had now blown their way through Chora's Den, adding another dozen or so bodies to the death count that had been growing steadily all day, ever since the human had left her office. When she had told the girl to get the evidence she claimed there would be, she didn't mean via a half dozen firefights across the wards! Granted, none of those dead would be particularly missed, and Sparatus was chaffing over the identities of the group of Turian assassins that had fallen first. Apparently, every one of them was wanted for treason, desertion, and dishonorable conduct. The fact that they had even gotten onto the Citadel in the first place was highly concerning, and it seemed that a firm look needed to be taken at C-Sec protocols.

Despite the growing media attention to the commando's warpath across the wards, however, and her own frustration at the number of credits all the repairs would cost, she couldn't help but be impressed with how Shepard had handled each engagement. Turning to her console, she watched the video from outside Chora's Den again. Her biotic control and strength was highly impressive, but what was truly awe-inspiring was when she engaged half of the opponents single-handedly whilst dual-wielding pistols. She had never before seen such a combat style, as it was widely accepted that the drastic drop in accuracy with two weapons was hardly worth the effort. However, almost every single round the human fired had struck her targets, and she had somehow managed to predict and avoid an enemies returned fire entirely. Even Sparatus had been struck dumb and complaint-less when the trio of Councilors had watched the footage together.

Her intercom chimed, and she reached for it apprehensively, fearing what she would hear from the other end. Activating it, she cleared her throat.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked calmly, no evidence of her concern in her voice.

"Valern, want to speak with you privately. Now a good time?" her friend and colleague of the last few decades said rapidly, and she smiled despite knowing he couldn't see it.

"Yes, of course. I always have time for you, my friend." She replied, pleased, and the door to her office hissed open to admit the salarian, who was in his robes of office. Offering him a chair, Tevos waited for him to sit before speaking again. "Now, what brings you to me? Has our prospective SPECTRE shot up another bar or a group of thugs?"

"Bar, no. Thugs, yes."Valern replied, and his voice grew harsh when Tevos groaned and rolled her eyes. "Not like the others! Had STG start tracking Shepard and her team not long after second firefight, wanted to make sure she wasn't instigating."

Tevos nodded, unsurprised by the former STG Director's logical decision. She was, however, surprised by the information he imparted to her afterwards.

"Tevos, situation rapidly becoming critical. Last engagement was to rescue young Quarian Pilgrim, name Tali'zorahnarRayya, from agents allegedly sent by Saren. She thought she was meeting Shadow Broker to sell him proof of Saren's treachery, but her contact had betrayed Broker for Saren. Details not important right now. What is important is that Shepard's entire group is on their way to human embassy with evidence."

"Saren…actually betrayed us? He murdered all of those people?" Tevos whispered, shocked. She couldn't believe that one of their best agents had committed so heinous a crime.

"Looking that way. Begs to question whether previous accusations of misconduct regarding Saren and human interaction were as exaggerated as he claimed."

"You mean when David Anderson was being tested for SPECTRE?" Tevos asked, receiving a nod from Valern, and she sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly. Folding her hands, she rested them on her desk. "So then, provided they do have evidence, what do we do? We essentially called Humanity liars and laughed them away just this morning…"

"Only thing that can be done is make Shepard SPECTRE, not that she is undeserving of post regardless." Valern said bluntly, and Tevos nodded in agreement with both his statements. Hopefully, getting one of their heroes into the ranks of the SPECTREs would calm the humans down, and she truly did deserve the post. It was why Nihlus had been sent to Eden Prime with her ship, after all. "Formal apology also called for, at the very least."

"Agreed."Tevos hummed, mind ticking rapidly as she considered the fall-out of Shepard actually having evidence. Not the least of which that it would make the Council, and therefore herself, look bad to the woman . Idly, she wondered why she cared if the human thought ill of her personally, before brushing it off with the explanation that she simply didn't want to be at odds with their newest SPECTRE. "Very well, I can only assume that we will be hearing from our human friends very shortly, so let us warn Sparatus and get a plan together."

##############################################################

"Eden Prime was a major victory! Finding that beacon brings us one step closer to finding the Conduit."

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."

The voices of SarenArterius and an Asari echoed in the vast silence of the Council Chambers. Hundreds of observers and members of the media were observing, most of them there to see if the human commando had actually come up with any evidence after firefighting her way across the wards whilst searching for it.

"There is the proof you so confidently believed could not be found! Proof that your pet killer murdered half a planet!" Udina thundered triumphantly from the Visitor's Podium with a broad smirk lighting up his features. "What say you now, Citadel Council?"

"The evidence is irrefutable. We of the Citadel Council condemn SarenArterius for his actions, and strip him of his title and rights as a SPECTRE agent. All of his assets will be seized, and he will be hunted by all of Citadel Space for these crimes." Tevos said, looking sorrowful despite expecting the evidence to be presented. She then frowned as a though occurred to her. "I recognized the other voice with Saren. Matriarch BeneziaT'soni, a very powerful, influential, and highly respected individual in Citadel Space. She has literally hundreds of acolytes at her beck and call, but why would she help Saren? The Benezia I know would sooner paint the walls with his blood then allow, or help, him commit such crimes as what he did on Eden Prime."

"Perhaps she has no choice? I imagine that her influence would be a significant boon to Saren, so perhaps he found a way to force her to help him?"Nimue offered, and the Council seemed to be considering that before Udina opened his mouth again.

"It doesn't matter! Seizing his assets and looking for him in Citadel Space is not good enough! You know he is hiding somewhere in the Traverse! Send your fleets in!" the Ambassador demanded, and Shepard sighed imperceptibly. For a political snake, the man was a fool sometimes.

"A fleet cannot track down one man, and sending our fleets into the Attican Traverse could spark a war with the Terminus Systems." Valern said sharply, though reasonably, and exchanged glances with Tevos. "There is a way, however, to hunt him without fleets or armies."

"No, it is too soon! Humanity is not ready for the responsibility of the SPECTRE organization!" Sparatus protested angrily, and Nimue stepped forward, folding her arms and staring at him coldly.

"You claim that we're not ready, but it was one of your kind that killed half of a planet. Everyone wins this way. Saren gets brought in without you lifting a finger or risking a war, and Udina gets a human into the SPECTRE organization." She said bluntly, and Tevos had to smother a smile at the outraged expression on Sparatus' face.

"Very well Shepard, please step forward." She said formally, and the crimson-haired commando passed Udina to stand at the Visitor's Podium. "It is the decision of the Citadel Council that you be granted all of the rights and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnissance Branch of the Citadel."

"SPECTREs are not trained, they are chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions lift them above the rank and the file." Valern continued, and Tevos took over again.

"SPECTREs are an ideal, a symbol, the embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the Right Hands of the Council, the instruments of our Will."

"SPECTREs bear a great burden. Both our first, and last, line of defense. The safety of the galaxy and its laws are theirs to uphold." Sparatus finished, sounding begrudging and reluctant enough for his fellows to frown at him slightly as the crowd applauded and the media chattered.

"Our first mission for you, SPECTRE Shepard, is to apprehend the traitor SarenArterius and return him to this Council for judgement, or otherwise deliver his corpse." Tevos informed her calmly, and unsurprisingly. "I again request that you meet me in my office, I would like to go over some of the details with you. As this is information regarding the SPECTREs, I must as that you leave your team behind."

"I understand, Councilor, I will do as you wish." Nimue responded with a respectful dip of her head.

"Then I declare this meeting to be…" Tevos started to adjourn the meeting, but Ashley Williams abruptly spoke and interrupted her.

"Members of the Council, I apologize for interrupting, but the Sith'ariare coming." She said bluntly, and the Council stared at her in confusion for a long moment, before looking to Shepard.

"SPECTRE Shepard, did your ship receive a message that we were unaware of?" Sparatus asked, and Shepard shook her head. "Then how is the Gunnery Chief aware of their apparently imminent arrival?"

"The Force, members of the 'rk spoke to me moments ago, and wants you to warn the defensive fleets to not attack them. They would be honor-bound to return in kind. I also suggest linking up with the Ascensions forward viewscreens." Ashley explained, and Tevos accepted that explanation-for the moment- and commed the commander of the Destiny Ascension, her close friend and sometimes-lover, Lidanya.

"Councilor, what is it?" Lidanya's voice spilled from her terminal, curious but not annoyed or wary.

"Commander Lidanya, the Sith'ari should be entering the system shortly. Inform the fleet that they are not to engage in any combative behavior whatsoever unless fired upon. And you're to stay one the line with us and link your forward viewscreens to the Council Chamber display. Understood?" Tevos instructed her firmly, and the hesitance from the other end of the line was clear to all.

"I understand, Councilor, but for the record I don't like this one bit. They should be met in a neutral system by a fleet, not the Citadel itself. It puts you at risk." The Matriarch said finally, discontent filling her voice, and Tevos stifled a smile at her friend's concern for her safety as the massive holographic display of the Council Chambers snapped to life, blocking the large bay windows behind the Council, showing the forward fringes of the Defense Fleet against the blackness of space, the pink cloud of the nebula, and the glowing silver and blue of the Relay in the distance.

"We thank you for your concern, but we've been assured that they will not attack without cause." She reassured the other woman, and Ashley Williams spoke up again, facing the media.

"People of the Citadel, I suggest that you look outside the nearest window that faces the Mass Relay and prepare for a sight beyond anything you can imagine."

All across the Citadel, citizens of all ages and walks of life hastened to the nearest available window with even a hint of the proper view, or else sat forward as the CNN tapped into the feed from the flagship. There was nothing for several long moments of baited breath and excited silence, before the voice of a member of the Ascension's bridge, clearly the sensor officer, cried out.

"Commander, massive gravitational spikes at 000! Ma'am, they are almost literally off the charts! Black hole-level and rising!" the Maiden sounded on the verge of abject panic, a panic that began to be echoed and magnified by the rest of the bridge, but Lidanya's calm, but sharp, voice cut through the fear like a blade and settled them.

"Pull yourselves together! You're the crew of the Citadel flagship, so act like it! This is nothing to panic over. The reports on this new race said that they use gravitational manipulation for travel and for some of their weapons. This is just them entering the system." She chastised them, sounding almost motherly, and they refocused on their jobs.

Thirty seconds later, a massive ship flashed into existence 100km from the Citadel. Six kilometers long and shaped long a two-bladed dagger, the sleek matte-black warship seemed enormous compared even to the two kilometer pride of the Citadel, the Destiny Ascension, never mind the mere kilometer length salarian and turian dreadnoughts. The cruisers and frigates that formed the defensive screen for the larger ships looked like ants before its might.

It was not the size of the ship, however, that immediately drew the gasps and cries of awe, shock, and even fear from the observers however. No, it was the massive incandescent disks of shimmering light that emenated from the prong-like bow and tri-angular stern of the ship. Disks that seemed to bleed blue lightning across their massive surface area, warping the very space around them as the ship snapped into existence, shining brighter than a sun itself.

"Matriarch Lidanya, what are the surface area of those light disks?" Tevos heard herself ask with a calm she didn't particularly feel.

"The bow disk is approximately twenty kilometers at its widest point, while the stern is only about ten kilometers." The flagship's commander replied, awe filling her voice, though she managed to remain professional. The gravitational readings they're giving off are beyond what our instruments can comprehend I…wait, something is happening!"

And indeed something was. The disks seemed to be shifting and shrinking, folding in onto themselves as they retracted to form solid ventral and dorsal bars, before fading as the last of the energy from the transition bleed away. The ship hung there for a long moment, motionless in the silence of space, before accelerating in-system at a rate that shouldn't have been possible for its size, crossing half the distance in the blink of an eye.

"Gravitational readings are steadying. Ship is moving in-system at 50 kps. Detecting massive radiation spikes…presumed to be some form of radar and ladar. Are they targeting us?"

"Negative, Matriarch." Williams spoke up, not wanting a shoot-out to start. "They're ensuring you have no ships hidden in stealth, and no weapons primed and targeted. It should cease momentarily."

True to her words, the Matriarch reported a breath later that the other ships was decelerating and no longer emitting the radiation pulses. The massive ship glided to a halt a mere five kilometers away from the Citadel Defense Fleet, and a heartbeat later Tevos' panel chimed with a communications request. Accepting and projecting it, the watching crowd observed as the image of a robed and masked figure sitting in a throne-like chair coalesced in midair.

"This is Arbiter Kom'rk Morut of the Sith'ari Imperium onboard the Harrower-class cruiser Born of Justice. I desire a meeting with you and your colleagues at the earliest convenience." The figure said bluntly in a deep and powerful, and Tevos' eyes widened at the fact that this massive craft was considered a mere cruiser by his people.

"We accept, of course. Please come aboard, Citadel Security will meet you and a small group of guards, and bring you to the Council Chambers." Tevos said, before quirking her lips in a small, wry smile. "Obviously, some sort of shuttle craft will be required; your ship is rather large to fit into any of our docks."

Kom'rk inclined his head slightly before cutting the link. Two minutes later, the two personal ships of the Arbiters launched and headed for C-Sec's personal docking bays, where three SPECTREs, a dozen C-Sec elites, Executor Pallin and a horde of media were waiting for them.

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The head of Citadel Security stood waiting by the docks assigned to this new race with a dozen of his most elite crack troops, accompanied by three of the SPECTRE's best. Jondaum Bau, Tela Vasir, and Nihlus Kryik, the last of whom had been sent due to the fact that he had already interacted with the VIPs that were approaching. While Pallin had never been the biggest fan of the SPECTRE branch and some of the liberties its members used their immunity for, he was exceptionally pleased to have the walking arsenals present at the moment.

"Look, here they come!" a random media member shouted, pointing to the two sleek shapes that were soaring down through the arms of the Citadel towards them. As they drew closer, it became more obvious just how much weaponry the two fighters bore. They decelerated smoothly, gliding down to rest on landing struts that deployed smoothly, silently, and swiftly only a meter or two off of the deck. There was silence for a long moment, filled only by the ambient sounds and some whispered comments from the media, and Pallin was beginning to grow annoyed when both hatches opened with a hiss, lowering to rest on the ground.

Rythmic thudding filled the air as two rows of three, six soldiers in total, emerged from each craft, forming rows on either side of their respective ships hatch. The soldiers were heavily armed and armored, wearing armor that looked like some sort of heavy plate metal. Their weapons were in mirrored between each set of six. Two from each carried carbines of some kind, two carried what were obviously sniper rifles, and two carried what looked like heavy mounted cannon with nothing more than their natural strength, hefting the massive weapons with ease. A minute later, a far softer and deliberate gait was heard, before two robed figures appeared from the ships.

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Menacing was the first word that came to Emily Wong's mind as she and her camera crew watched the Sith'ari arrive with the rest. Their measured steps, combined with the dark theme of their armors and the blazing crimson eyes that could be seen from behind the masks sent a thrill of fear through all who witnessed it. Yet, the second word that invariably seemed to come to mind was noble, shortly followed by reserved, deadly, and calm.

They gave off an air of utter calm and confidence, combined with the most lethal of grace, like the ancient samurai of old. She had little doubt that the two of them alone could slaughter everyone there without issue if they so desired, but she also knew that to do so would be an anathema to them, just from their baring. The larger of the two, who was obviously male, swept the waiting crowd with his blazing eyes, stopping when they met her own. She shivered again, but this time in something akin to pleasure as his eyes searched her own for something, as though he was seeing her soul itself. A moment later, they moved on and she felt as though she had passed some sort of test.

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Though she would never willingly admit it to anyone, SPECTRE Tela Vasir was in awe of, and a little nervous of, the beings who had just set foot onto the place she considered her home. While she was from an old Thessian family, it was on the Citadel where she had been raised and trained, and it was here she spent her days when not on a mission. In all her years of life and service, she had never felt like she did in the presence of these two beings. Fear, courage, lust, all these things she had felt in the past, though she preferred not to sleep around like so many of her race, but she had never felt any of them to the degree she did now. The very air seemed to warp around the pair, more so the male, as thought they were drawing everything around them towards themselves. The male's eyes met hers moments after they met those of a human reporters, and she was nearly consumed with the desire to kneel and pay homage as his power seemed to expand, billowing like a cloud to wrap around her as Nihlus stepped forward.

"You walk a dangerous path, Tela Vasir, for the sake of your people. But it is not the only way to perform your duties. Seek another path lest the one you tread end in your death, remembered only as a traitor whom sold her oath and soul for information."A powerful male voice echoed through her mind, much in the way the voice of a Matriarch would during a meld.

"What are you doing in my mind!" she mentally hissed, furious at the intrusion, before the pressure seemed to double, silencing her.

"Warning you. I have forseen your death," she saw an image of her bullet-riddled body slumped against the wall of an Illium high-rise, a widely varied group standing around her. In the lead was a heavily armed and armored Shepard, who looked regretful, who was accompanied by two Asari (one of whom was a Justicar of all things!), a Quarian, and a turian she recognized as Garrus Vakarian. "In your desperation for information, you are hunted and slain by one who would be your friend and comrade. This being whom you sell your aid will lead to your death."

She could feel the truth in his words, and to be frank she had never been a big fan of working with the Shadow Broker. She would tell him that she couldn't deal with him anymore. The presence of the male faded from her mind, and she blinked a little hazily as Nihlus finished stepping forward, a mere instant having passed during the mental conversation.

"Arbiters, let me be the first to welcome you and your escorts to the Citadel." He said welcomingly, receiving a nod in return, before gesturing to Pallin, who stepped forward. "This is Executor Pallin, the head of Citadel Security, and my fellow SPECTREs, Jondaum Bau and Tela Vasir."

The duo inclined their heads solemnly as Nihlus then turned slightly to introduce the duo to his companions. "Executor, Jondaum, Tela, this is Arbiter Kom'rk Morut and his companion, Arbiter Aay'han Ca'tra, of the Sith'ari Imperium. They're the ones who singlehandedly rescued myself and Shepard's squad, as well as two dozen civilians, from Saren and his Geth."

"Yes, well, thank you for that. If you would please follow us to the Council Chambers." The Executor grunted, sounding fairly disgruntled, as he turned and started to walk away. The two Arbiters and SPECTRES followed, the twelve Sith'ari guards following in perfect formation, with the entire group surrounded by the C-Sec teams and followed by the media.

"The Executor did not seem to be too pleased that we saved you, Nihlus Kryik." Aay'han commented in amusement, the soft beauty of her voice getting reactions from many of the men and women who heard it, despite the oddly echoing quality her mask gave it.

"It's nothing personal. Pallin hates the SPECTRE branch with a passion. He thinks that we have too much power and not enough oversight, which means that he can't make sure we are keeping to the straight and narrow." The turian explained quietly, not wanting to give the C-Sec officers the impression he was bad-mouthing their highly capable commander.

"These are concerns that were had for those who walked the same path as us, as well." Kom'rk hummed, Aay'han nodding in agreement. "However, over time it became clear that our Oaths had far more power than mere words. Oath-breakers suffered well-deserved fates, and faith in our ranks grew. Perhaps it will be so for you as well."

No one who overheard had any doubt whatsoever what those "well-deserved fates" were, none at all. His tone of voice and bearing made it abundantly clear for those who were unable to make the intellectual leap on words alone.

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Tevos resisted the urge to rub her hands together as she waited for the newcomers to actually arrive. She had watched the footage of their ships arriving to dock at C-Sec, and their guard exiting said ships, but had cut her terminal's feed when the Sith'ari themselves had been about to exit. She didn't want the first impression she got of them to be via video footage. Slight glances to her left and right showed that her fellows were equally nervous, and hiding it with equal amounts of skill, something that she was pleased about. They needed to present a strong front lest the Sith'ari decide they were too weak to guard and guide the galaxy and its inhabitants. Her mind drifted back to the sight of the Sith'ari cruiser arriving, the massive ship blazing into existence like an enormous azure soap bubble, if a bubble could blaze as bright as a star. It had been one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring sights she had ever witnessed in her five centuries of life, even as it frightened her with its confirmation that these people were far beyond even her own.

Still, she had faith that diplomacy would provide them with the best path to the future.

Finally, the door chimed open, and Executor Pallin entered with the lead members of the C-Sec escort, followed by the trio of SPECTREs that they had sent with him. After a moment, the two Arbiters strode through the door, their guards following, the two Force-users walking with a calm, measured step of predatory grace that for all its silence and serenity seemed all the more threatening that the thudding cadence of their escort's marching boots. In truth, the pair seemed to glide across the ground towards the Visitor's Podium, where they came to a halt before Shepard and her squad. Their escort halted in unison and came to attention in a clank of armor, weapons held at port-arms, and Tevos' eyes widened despite her training at the four soldiers that carried the massive weapons that, too anyone else, would likely be crew-operated heavy weapons.

"Well met, Ashley Williams, Nimue Shepard." The male said in a voice that held power and authority within its depths, and the two women returned the greeting with slight nods of the head, and the pair turned to the Council, the male stepping to the fore. "So, these are the politicians that lead?"

"Politicians we may now be, but every one of us has served in the military. Councilor Sparatus was a Colonel in the Turian Special Forces, Councillor Valern was a Major in the Salarian Special Tasks Group, and I myself was an Asari Commando for a few centuries." Tevos replied promptly, mentally thanking Shepard and her crew for the forewarning on the Sith'ari's opinion of politicians. Kom'rk hummed in understanding before continuing.

"And yet you sit idly by while a world is ravaged by a mutual threat. Such is the folly of those who abandon the Paths of Honor and Battle for the short-lived comforts of Wealth and Fame." His voice was laced with a fair bit of contempt despite it's almost conversational tone, and the Council stiffened as one whilst the onlookers murmured softly to one another.

"While the attack on Eden Prime is a matter of some concern, it is a human matter. The Council does not interfere in the personal activities of every race in Citadel space. To do so would violate their rights as a sovereign people." She responded sharply, and noticed that both Sith'ari gave her speculative looks, something very like approval in their body language, though there was none to be found as Aay'han spoke up.

"The Mantle of Responsibility shelters all, Councilor Tevos. All. Not simply those whom it is easy and convenient to guide and protect." She said chastisingly, before shrugging slightly and continuing. "Irregardless, we wished only to introduce ourselves and declare our intent to hunt Saren. He has commited a great crime against Life, and Justice shall be delivered upon his head."

"Former SPECTRE Saren is a concern of the Citadel Council, not of newly arrived forgeiners." Sparatus said sharply, and both Sith'ari turned their blazing eyes to him.

"Justice knows no borders or boundries, banner or bias. It simply is, Councilor. He spilled the blood of innocents in our presence, and so must his blood be spilt in turn. It is a matter of honor and duty, not jurisdiction." Kom'rk rebuked him coldly, his tone and body language unyielding, making plain that further attempts to dissuade them would be useless and not well-met.

"I propose a solution, Council members. Myself and my team have already interacted with the Arbiters, and our newly assigned mission is to hunt Saren down. I submit that having the Arbiters accompany me would fulfil their duty and obligation to serve justice to Saren, as well as provide a significant boon to said hunt." Shepard offered, stepping forward, and the Council considered it. While they didn't expected a rookie SPECTRE to capture an elite former operative like Saren, instead planning to leave the duty to their more seasoned personnel, this would both help them learn more about the Sith'ari, and be able to monitor the same, something that would likely be more difficult if the pair took their ship and went off on their own.

"Very well, we of the Council can understand the call of duty, and agree that our new aquaintances must heed the call. As such, we submit this proposal to the Sith'ari Arbiters: accompany SPECTRE Shepard during her search for Saren, and upon your return be willing to discuss treaties or agreements with the Council?" Tevos offered after a few minutes of silent consultation with her fellows via their terminals.

"Agreed. We offer our ship and the forces aboard to aid in this hunt." Kom'rk said, and Nimue looked almost excited at the prospect, before Udina spoke up.

"The offer is appreciated, but Shepard will be utilizing a ship provided by the Alliance. She is our SPECTRE, after all." He said, and the Council frowned, displeased by his words.

"She is under the authority of the Alliance no longer, Ambassador. The moment she accepted our offer of becoming a SPECTRE, she was no longer a member of the Alliance military. We of the Council cannot have our most elite agents serving divided loyalties." Valern's voice was clipped, his annoyance clear, and Udina looked like he had been force-fed and entire lemon, while Nimue looked fairly depressed at the news. While it was unsurprising, she had worked long and hard to reach her rank, and there were her parents to consider as well.

"Well then, as a show of good faith in the Council for utilizing one of our best and brightest, we offer as her transportation the stealth frigate Normandy, and her current crew, for the extent of the mission to subdue or eliminate Saren Arterius." Udina said, a very false smile plastered across his face, and Nimue's eyes widened. That was unexpected, but welcome. "After all, the Council will not send ships into the Traverse lest they start a war, so what better ship for a SPECTRE hunting another in the same area than a stealth ship?"

What games are you playing now, Udina? Nimue thought, eyes narrowing imperceptibly as she tried to figure out his motives. He was obviously trying to get into her good graces, that much was obvious, but for what reason was up to debate.

"The Council graciously accepts your offer. The Normandy is an impressive ship, both fast and silent. Ideal for SPECTRE Shepard to utilize in her service to this body." Tevos responded with and equally fake smile, and Udina's own smile tightened at the return salvo.

"Then let there be no more time spent on words. Action is what lies before us." Kom'rk said firmly, putting an end to the political pissing contest. Turning to his soldiers, he spoke. "Yaim'ol at me'sen. Rejorhaa'ir Alor'ad Riamara mhi oya'karir aruetii!"*

"Elek, Cabur!"** the soldiers responded in unison, saluting as one before turning and marching from the room, the inhabitants of whom watched them go, wondering what had just been said, before Kom'rk turned to Nimue and her group.

"Let us go." He said simply, and Shepard nodded firmly, not letting the whirlwind of events get to her visibly. This wasn't at all how she had expected the day to go, but she was hard-pressed to complain over all. Turning to the door, she lead what would be widely regarded as one of the most deadly groups of sentients ever to grace the stars from the room.

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That is a wrap! Kinda long, but it has been a while. Now we can finally get into the interesting stuff!

*- Rough translation being "Return to the ship. Tell Captain Riamara that we hunt a traitor!"

**- "Yes, Guardian/Protector." (thought used in this case to mean 'Arbiter', since that word doesn't exist in mando'a).

You know the drill, leave a review!


	5. A Departure

Leoniniues: Well, I wouldn't say I entirely created a new race. I took the Mandolorians, The True Sith (race, not religion), and the Sangheili and threw them together with a little Halo lore for good measure. I have no idea why some of the names ran together like that and some didn't, but I did transfer this from google docs, to word, to ff.net, so maybe that did it. And if you like this, just wait until I start rolling out my In Death Ground trilogy (Halo story teasered in Ripples on the River). Mind, that won't be for a while, got way to many projects running as is. This story, to be perfectly honest, isn't meant to be entirely serious. Crack!With!Plot! is more the idea.

Dany le fou: yeah, we meet her this chapter though, sorta. She will feature mainly in certain missions where her talents will come in handy. And let's face it, Shep would have been notorious anywhere she went because she always ends up shooting SOMEONE, even if she just goes shopping.

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Mass Effect: War of Ages

Book One: The Dawn of War

Chapter Five

A Departure

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The sight of Nimue Shepard alone striding through the Presidia 500 block, the section of the station reserved for the most wealthy and influential denizens of The Citadel, would have been more than sufficient to make people stop and stare, whisper and gossip, but the presence of her companions made it even more so. Three Alliance marines followed directly behind her, eyes attentive for any threats that might present themselves. Just behind them was a massive and heavily scarred krogan, his gleaming red eyes having an almost bored expression within them. A few feet behind his massive bulk came a quarian and turian duo, the turian wearing the armor and markings of a C-sec officer.

For the second time that day, Nimue Shepard found herself walking through the lobby doors of the apartment complex that Councilor Tevos, her staff, and the Asari Commandos assigned to their safety called home here in the center of the galaxy. Once more, they were relinquishing their weapons under the careful eyes of a dozen alert guards, before taking several trips up in the lift (Wrex himself was an entire trip) to reach the lofty, 5oth floor office where they had met with her once before.

 Gathering herself, Shepard raised her hand to knock.

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Elara Tevos looked up from her computer screen at the fairly loud rap at her door, and glanced at the time before grumbling softly to herself. She had lost track of the time looking through Citadel records for anything about the new members of the galactic scene, and found nothing. Not that she was surprised, but she had held some hope that even the slightest hint would be discovered. Still, she had to quickly resettle herself and neaten her desk before buzzing Shepherd and her team in. Once more, her office was filled by individuals wearing battle armor, but this time the team had swelled from two Marines to a diverse group much larger (in content and in numbers) than it's previous size.

Urdnot Wrex, of course, whom she had met once a few centuries ago (during her Maiden days as a mercenary, something she had spent a great deal of time and money erasing from history) and knew him very well by reputation. Her lover and best friend Aria T'Loak, previously Aleena, had always spoken extremely well of the ancient and incredibly deadly Battlemaster.

Garrus Vakarian, one of the better up-and-coming C-sec officers in the force, despite his propensity for brash actions and a certain disregard for finesse and red tape. He was, according to Sparatus 'a terrible Turian', which in turn meant he would be an excellent SPECTRE in a few more years. Hopefully, his time with Nimue...with _Shepard_ would teach him how to properly avoid red tape, and when doing so was a poor decision.

Tali'zorah nar Rayya, a young Quarian on her pilgrimage who had had the good fortune to come across extraordinarily valuable data. As the daughter of one of the Admirals of the Fleet, having her work with Shepard would give the fledgling SPECTRE not only significant technical skills, but also an ally within the reclusive Migrant Fleet. No doubt both would come in handy during Shepard's hunt for Saren and his Geth forces.

Nirali Bhatia, the only other Marine survivor from Eden Prime, and the subject of video gone viral on the extranet, said video's content being the romantic reunion of the young Indian marine and her husband just after the _Normandy_ had arrived at the Citadel. It was generating hits at an astonishing rate, with the majority of viewers making various comments on how romantic it was, and in support of members of the armed forces. The only videos spreading faster were those grainy pieces of footage of Shepard's various...escapades over the last day or so.

She opened her mouth to great them when Shepard held up a hand and preempted her, looking solemn but also...nervous?  
                                              "Councilor Tevos, I want to apologize ahead of time for this..." was all she said, and the Councilor was only just tensing in momentary panic (had she misjudged the woman so severely that she was about to be assassinated?) when the two forms of the Sith'ari faded into view, A'ayhan holding a stack of what looked like datapads.

                                              "What is the meaning of this, SPECTRE?" Tevos asked dangerously, her Commando roots shining through for a moment, and Kom'rk stepped forward and inclined his head in a slight bow.

                                              **"I would ask that you hold nothing against your Agent, Councilor. Judge Shepard was not pleased with our desire to enter your presence via stealth..."**

                                              "Sneaking in, I believe were the words that I used, thank you." Shepard interjected bluntly, and Kom'rk seemed to draw himself up, posture squaring as he looked at her.

                                              **"A Judge of the Empire does not _sneak_. We employ our mastery over the Force to perform feats of stealth and infiltration." ** He responded with immense dignity and poise, getting smirks or chuckles from the entire room, including Tevos herself.  The Judge looked back at the Councillor and continued. **"As I was saying, she was less than pleased, but it was important that we met with you, specifically in a private fashion."**

"Might I ask why you did not wish to converse further with the Council, or in a public forum in general?" Tevos asked, raising her eyebrows infinitesimally, and Kom'rk folded his hands behind his back and his posture became almost...solemn.

                                              **"You are well known for being the most...moderate and trustworthy member of the Council, and so we are entrusting you with specific pieces of knowledge, what amounts to a Codex on our people. It is not all-encompassing, naturally, and will likely leave you more questions and answers, but it is of vital importance to provide said information to you."** Kom'rk responded , waving his hand and the stack in A'ayhan's grasp rose into the air and drifted over to settle onto the Asari's desk. **"We, the two of us, have forseen many things in regards to the events that have come to pass since we have awoken."**

"You claim to be able to see the future?" Tevos almost, _almost_ , scoffed in disbelief, her natural politeness and desire to get along with the new race keeping her tone polite, and she could _feel_ the pair smirking at her from behind their masks.

                                              **"'Always in motion, the future is.'"** A'ayhan said softly, her tone making it clear she was quoting someone else, before she continued in her regular voice. **"Yet some things are written into the fabrics of creation themselves. Some events will always occur, regardless of what is done. Who participates, what they do, who they do it with...this all changes. For instance, in one possible future, Nihlus Kryik did not survive the mission on Eden Prime, nor did Nirali Bhatia."**

"And you are here to...what, manipulate future events?" this time it was Shepard who spoke incredulously, and both turned to look at her with eerie synronicity.

                                              **"We are servants of the Living Force, Guides and Guardians of The Mantle. We do The Maker's will, wherever we are called to do so. Our presence here was pre-ordained. Otherwise, you never would have found our crypt. We would have remained sleeping until even this Citadel was naught but dust."** The Marine continued to look extremely skeptical, and A'ayhan continued in amusement. **"You will soon begin to see, _cyar'ika_."**

"Well, regardless of anything else, I certainly thank you for this information. Would you be willing to consider leaving any of your people on The Citadel to represent you, answer any questions the Council might have?" Tevos interjected herself back into the conversation, and the pair fell silent in consideration for a long moment before Kom'rk spoke again, though this time it was in his own language.

                                              **"A'aray, olaror at keldab. Gar Kelir jorhaa'ir par mhi at te alore. Gar traat'aliit balyc."** he commanded, before looking at Tevos once more and inclining his head slightly. **"A'aray, one of our Force Commandos, will remain to do as you ask, along with her squad. They are amongst our best and brightest, and each is uniquely suited to ask many questions, for they are Force Sensative soldiers."**

"Force Sensitive? You mean they can do the same things you do?" Ashley asked curiously, but the pair shook their heads.

                                              **"No. They are skilled, powerful warriors, but the Force is not as strong in them as it is in us. Or, rather, they cannot draw on its power as well as we can. They can use enough for battle pre-cognition and to know if someone is lying, as well as enhanced strength, reaction speed, and the like. It makes them excellent Special Forces soldiers, but they simply cannot wield the Force the way we and those like us can."**

"In other words, they can't trap nuclear detonations with their minds." Nimue said dryly, getting snorts from the other three humans, disbelief from Garrus, an intrigued look from Wrex, and a confused head-tilt from Tali'zorah. Noticing the three alien's reactions, she waved a hand slightly. "I'll show you the footage from my BattleCam later on."

                                              **"Indeed, and let me be clear. All living beings can Touch the Force, or rather _be_ Touched by it. Even if you lack the ability to sense it and wield it deliberately like we do, it still can influence your actions. The things you dismiss as luck, chance, déjà vu, 'having a bad feeling', and other similar, apparently miniscule things are in truth the Force whispering to you. Guiding you."**

 **"Regardless,"** A'ayhan interjected at last, glancing at her companion a little sharply, getting a shrug in return. **"We did not come here to lecture on our people or The Force, not while there is Justice to be delivered and an enemy to Hunt. We leave you the information, and ask you merely to keep an open mind as you read it."**

She looked over at Shepard and her team, and Nimue could _feel_ her smirking behind that damn mask of hers. She waved her hand in a slight goodbye before she and Kom'rk disappeared in twin pillars of light.  A moment later, Nimue's omni-tool pinged as Joker opened a channel.

                                              _"Commander, the people with the massive ship just called, they said that they're ready to go and are wondering when you would like to start hunting Saren down. They seemed rather impatient."_ The pilot's discomfort was clear in his voice, and Nimue looked up before stepping to where the two Sith'ari had been standing. Waving an arm through the space, she blinked and gasped as it connected with nothing but empty air.

                                              "Uh, right. We'll be right there, Joker, get the ship ready for launch." She said finally, deciding to ask what the hell had happened the next time she saw the pair. Closing the channel, she looked to the baffled and bemused Asari Councilor, who was clearly trying to come to grips with the information dump she had just received. "Ma'am, we're going to head out. Please contact us if you get anything relevant to my mission?"

                                              "Of course, SPECTRE Shepard. The Council wishes you good fortune and safety in your tasks ahead. Stay safe out there." Tevos' tone was much softer and less formal towards the end, getting curious looks from the rest, but Nimue merely nodded with a confident smile before escorting her team from the room. Sighing to herself, Tevos paged her assistant, ordering her to cancel all her meetings and only bring emergencies to her attention, before Lifting the stack of datapads and heading for her personal lounge. A nice bottle of Thessian red, a crackling fire, and information on a brand new race (more ancient than her own) lay in her immediate future.

#####################################################

_Half an Hour Later_

_Normandy Cockpit_

                                              "I still can't believe that we're parking my baby for the ride." Joker grumbled as the massive maw of the Sith'ari's main hanger began to swallow the (comparatively) tiny form of the _Normandy_. Not an instant later than the airlock cycling shut behind them, Joker had been rotating in his chair to call Shepard to the comm. Eager to begin the hunt, and distasteful of the long and imprecise method of travel that was the Mass Relay, Kom'rk's flag captain, a young woman by the name of Riamara, had ever-so-politely suggested that the _Normandy_ dock with her vessel to shorten transit times. Though she had hemmed and hawed for a few moments, the excitement of her crew (and her own, if she was being honest) to see the inside of such an incredible ship quickly had her agreeing. Joker, obviously, was not pleased. He had been even less pleased to find out he wouldn't be docking his ship under his own control, but rather pulled in by a 'tractor beam'.

                                              "Joker, they're faster, bigger, more powerful, and can't get ambushed on the far side of a Relay. There is really no downside to this. Besides, the Normandy will still have a significant part to play. I expect her stealth will be very important in later missions, it's not like the _Born of Justice_ is particularly stealthy." Shepard said unsympathetically, before smirking. "Besides, Captain Riamara did mention letting you behind the controls of their ships at some point, so you should be excited if nothing else."

Joker's attempt to grumble away the excitement it was obvious he felt at the reminder was ignored and forgotten in gasps of awe and wonder as their ship finally entered the hanger. It was just as enormous as they had thought it would be (after all, the main hanger of a 6 km long ships wasn't going to be small!) and filled with spacecraft of varying size, shape, and color. Swarms of Sith'ari swarmed over many, clearly mechanics and techs working on maintaining their charges while more than a few pilots looked on anxiously, ready to jump in if the techs did anything untoward to their babies. Many of the crimson-skinned soldiers turned to look at the small frigate as it was slowly propelled over to a large cul-de-sac off of the main hanger that had been cleared for its use, but in an excellent display of professionalism returned promptly to their duties, rather than standing and gawking as just about anyone else would have done. By the time the _Normandy_ had settled into its new berth and the ground team and Pressley had taken the elevator down to the hanger (a far better way to disembark in this situation, compared to the air-lock), a welcoming committee consisting of the two Judges and a uniformed woman who screamed Navy to the _Normandy's_ crew.

                                              **"SPECTRE Shepard, welcome aboard the _Born of Justice_. Might I introduce Captain Riamara Endeli, her commanding officer?"** Ailyn introduced the uniformed woman, who clicked her heels, right arm coming up strongly to form a bar parallel to her shoulders. Interpreting it correctly to be a salute, Shepard and her crew responded in kind, while Wrex simply grunted and nodded his head, which was admittedly more than Shepard had expected him to do. **"She will be leading you on a tour of her ship whilst Ailyn and I meditate on our next step, though I think that perhaps our course shall present itself to you before us."**

With shallow, yet no less respectful, bows, the two Judges departed to meditate and God knows what else, leaving Shepard's ground team, Joker, and the visibly uncomfortable Pressley to their tour.

                                              "SPECTRE Shepard, if you and your subordinates might follow me, we can begin. Our tour will, of course, begin here in the main hanger, and culminate on the bridge. Have you or your people any questions before we begin?" Riamara asked politely, hands folded behind her back, and Joker spoke up tentatively.

                                              "Captain, do your people have any sort of motorized wheelchair I could use?" he asked, reluctant to both ask and to speak about his crippling disease, but he couldn't possibly miss out on an opportunity like this if it was avoidable. He could swallow his pride for this.

                                              "A Wheelchair? How quaint. No, we possess nothing of the sort." Riamara blinked, no offense meant from her tone of voice, simply surprise, and Joker sagged sadly. Ignoring his reaction for the moment, Riamara turned her head slightly to look at a crewman. "Senar shebyc baar'ur jii, verd. Gotal'ur iviin'yc!"

                                              "De gar ke'gyce, alor'ad!" the crewman responded, rushing from the hanger with astonishing haste, deeply confusing the crew of the _Normandy_ , who did not yet have a decent Sith'ari translator for their omnitools. Fortunatly, they did have Chief Williams, who quickly explained that she had ordered him to bring a medical chair and to be quick about it, while the crewman had of course acknowledged the order before departing.

                                              "Well translated, Chief Williams. The Arbiters spoke highly of you for your valor and inherent goodness and faith in the Maker. Perhaps the younger races have some hope after all." Riamara responded, looking at her with raised eyebrows, and the rest looked back at her, confused and mildly offended by her last comment.

                                              "Younger races? _Might?_ How can you dismiss us like that?!" Pressley hissed, his indignation breaking through his professionalism, and she turned passive crimson eyes to him, expression never changing.

                                              "Mr. Pressley, I have served the Arbiter Kom'rk and his Primaris for centuries. The Sith'ari have been sailing the stars for millennia longer than your own race realized that your planet wasn't in fact a flat disk. We have defied beings that you would think gods or demons, struck down threats that you cannot comprehend. I mean no insult, but you have barely scratched the surface of what your galaxy has to offer, not to mention those outside of it. You are always going to be younger than another, just as other races will be younger than you. This is nature, not cruel insult." She told him bluntly, ignoring any surprised gasps from the rest of the crew. "I, at the side of My Lord, have seen thousands of races similar in age to your own perish in the fires of internal or external warfare, for the most petty and foolish of reasons. As for your potential, I must admit to a certain lack of faith. You dedicate your entire society and its technology on something you found lying about. You never sought to have greater understanding of it, to learn where it came from or improve and grow beyond its limitations. You claim to follow in the footsteps of a race that vanished without explanation millennia ago, a race whose relics and artifacts have been wiped so clean that you know little beyond their name. You know not even what they looked like."

Her eyes swept the silent group sternly, clearly not interested in any way whatsoever in pulling her punches. Indeed, she seemed to consider it her duty to 'let them have it', as some might say.

                                              "If I were you, I might wonder whom it is that they fought that such a thing would occur, and wonder how terribly convenient it is that caches of technology from this race were left either on the homeworld, or within a few months primitive space travel from said homeworld, of almost every discovered race. I might wonder why almost every garden-class world, those almost guaranteed to produce intelligent life, seemed to have such a cache, easily accessible and useable. I might wonder if perhaps it was entirely too convenient to be pure chance, for chance does not occur so often as this."

                                              "While your words are, perhaps, somewhat harsh, Captain," Shepard spoke for her crew, sounding vaguely reprimanding as she placed a calming hand on Pressley's shoulder. "I cannot disagree with them. There is a saying, often forgot by many, that has been amongst humanity for millenia: Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, thrice is enemy action."

                                              "The Turians, Asari, and Salarians all have similar sayings." Garrus commented suddenly, and Wrex grunted and nodded in affirmation that the Krogan, too, had such a saying.

                                              "Some hope perhaps, indeed. Remember that fact, Commander Shepard, for you will find that the words of the ancient's long past will guide and shape the future far distant." Riamara gave a small nod of agreement before turning and stepping aside as the crewman arrived with a large matte-black chair, heavily padded. "This, Jeff Moreau, is a medical hoverchair. It is technically designed for people with spinal injuries to remain mobile before they are healed, but it should serve you just as well until a cure can be synthesized for your ailment. It functions like this..."

                                              "I'm sorry, but a cure?" Doctor Chakwas interrupted, decidedly out of character for the almost painfully polite and kind woman, sounding most incredulous. "Vrolik's syndrome has no cure, his bones..."

                                              "Are substantially weaker than they should be, having a consistency more similar to that of a bird than to most mammalian creatures, yes. This is true. However, again with no offense intended, but our medical technology can effectively halt the aging process. Strengthening Mr. Moreau's bones to the appropriate, natural level will be neither impossible nor difficult, though admittedly time consuming. Should all else fail, internal prosthesis in the form of a metal coating can be added to his skeleton to ensure that he can live a normal life." Riamara dropped that metaphorical medical bombshell almost absently as she and the crewman helped a dazed Joker sit down. She then took a few minutes to help explain to him the various capabilities of the chair. She then requested ever so politely that the _Normandy_ crew follow her, before h

eading off towards the far end of the hanger.

                                              "The main hanger, as you can see, is massive by your standards. It is from this hanger that all troop dropships, shuttles, and other such transports dock and depart. Further forward, between the two prongs, are the fighter hangers, allowing us to launch our compliment of _Supremacy_ -class fighters into battle, while the slower _Extinction_ -class bombers launch from port and starboard bays, affording them more protection upon launch due to their more ponderous nature. The Arbiters and other similarly illustrious individuals launch from the VIP hanger further aft on the ventral side."

The group walked through the doors into and out of the hanger, which slid apart silently, and into a long, gleaming hallway of polished metal. Crewman and what Shepard guessed were Marines moved about with deliberate speed as they went about their business, and they also noticed what had to be some form of automatons, like those who had tended to the Judges on Eden Prime, moving about with equal purpose.

                                              "A _Harrower_ ­-class cruiser generally serves the same purpose any cruiser would in your own navies. Anti-piracy duties, merchant travel lane security, and the like. As with any cruiser, the basic principle behind a _Harrower_ is that it can catch anything it can kill, and out run anything that can kill it in turn." She explained as she set a brisk pace, the cluster of Citadel race members following along behind them like ducklings following their mother. It was really rather amusing, actually.

                                              "It's astonishing to me that you can have a ship of this size. The _Destiny Ascension_ is considered bleeding edge technology, and it is only two kilometers or so in length! It is of course obvious that you don't use mass effect technology, so what then can provide enough power for such a monstrously large ship?" Chief Adams asked eagerly from beside Tali, the only other technologically inclined person in the group.

                                              "While I am no engineer, and I can arrange for you to speak with my own Chief Engineer at some point," Riamara offered, and both engineers nodded so eagerly it was almost comical, and she continued with a small twitch of her lips. "I can tell you that anti-matter annihilation is what powers all warships in the Empire. Fighters use fusion reactions in order to power their weapons, engines, and shields, while those large enough also possess anti-matter generators to travel in hyperspace."

                                              "Your small craft are capable of FTL on their own, without a carrier?" Shepard gasped in a rather out of character moment of surprise, and Riamara nodded as if this was a simple thing. "Why do you have fighters on board capitol ships then? Why not send them along separately?"

                                              "For several reasons, although I would note that they are often sent out without a capitol ship, depending on the requirements of the mission. First, the cockpit of a fighter is small. It is hardly acceptable or viable to expect a pilot to sit in a starfighter cockpit for twelve hours, sleeping fitfully if at all, and then be sharp enough to properly engage in combat. I'm sure you can see how ludicrous and counter-productive this would be." She responded, and the Citadel races nodded in agreement, for it was indeed true and made a great deal of sense. "Furthermore, as powerful as capitol ships are, without sufficient small craft support they are vulnerable to enemy small craft, much as your ancient aircraft carriers were vulnerable without their squadrons to defend them, though of course the comparison doesn't take into account the armament of a warship like the _Justice_ and a glorified transport like an aircraft carrier."

Despite herself, Shepard had to hold back a snicker at that. While she had at first been surprised by the Captain's knowledge of her people, in the end she thought it made sense that the Arbiters would have read her in on their races and their histories, if only to make giving a tour somewhat easier. And the Captain was right, while 21st century aircraft carriers had been moderately armed in their own right, their true purpose was to deliver their squadrons to an enemy target, not to defend themselves. That was the job of the dozens of cruisers and destroyers that sailed beside and around them. While mildly insulting, aircraft carriers were, in a very real sense, 'glorified transports'.

                                              "Speaking of which, how heavily armed is this ship? If it isn't classified of course." Ashley asked, hastily adding the caveat at the end, and Riamara smiled at her almost pityingly.

                                              "There is no need to classify it in this situation." She responded, the implication clear: _it doesn't matter what you know, you couldn't take us on anyway_. "The _Born of Justice_ is, as you know, a six kilometer vessel. It has a crew of nearly 100,000, even with our level of sophisticated automation, and poses literally thousands of energy canons, missile and torpedo launchers, gravity lances, and the highly experimental LAP cannon, which we have used only once and have no _desire_ to ever use again."

                                              "I'm not even going to try and comment on the rest of it, but what in the name of all that is holy is a LAP cannon?" Nirali crinkled her nose cutely, and Riamara looked solemn and, dare they say it, shaken by the inquiry, or at least by the subject to which it pertained.

                                              "The Lightspeed Assault Projector, or LAP cannon, is a focused beam of energy based off of our hyperspace technology. In essence, it sends whatever it hits into lightspeed. Or, rather, only the impact point and a certain radius. Imagine, if you can bear it, a weapon that can brush up against a ship, or a planet, and send portions of them into lightspeed while the rest remains behind. Imagine the results it would have on either object to suddenly have large swathes of their form vanish in a sheer instant."

Shepard gagged, the crew blanched, and even Wrex looked disturbed. Any ship struck by such a weapon would have no defense, no chance to evacuate. The energy disparity would likely tear it apart and kill the entire crew before they could evacuate, while any planet would suffer apocalyptic-level cataclysms, leading to the end of all life on its surface, at worse. At best, only the vast majority of the planet would die.*

                                              "Why would you ever create such a thing?" Tali whispered, horrified. She had thought, perhaps, to ask these people for help against the Geth, but now she was afraid to. If she did, Rannoch might not be there for them to go back too.

                                              "...That is a long and horrific part of our history, but I shall say simply that there was no other choice if peace was to be achieved. Every other option had been exhausted, many times many had died, and the war _had_ to come to a close, by whatever means necessary. In effect, its use was our Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Riamara said almost sadly, before sighing and continuing in a tone of forced cheer. "Regardless, I am supposed to be giving you a tour of the ship, not a history lesson in the past of my people. In addition to the crew complement, a _Harrower_ has the ability to land a small planetary occupation force, consisting of some thousands of soldiers, armored divisions, and supplies. This was intended for the purpose of subduing rebellion on fringe planets, or occupying pirate strongholds, until a more significant force could be sent to truly take control of the situation."

Sometime later, the group found themselves on the bridge, watching the small (compared to their own societies' ships) bridge staff work at their various stations of responsibility, a soft murmur of voices forming something of a undercurrent to the atmosphere, and once more the Citadel races were impressed. There was no lack of professionalism, no messing about of any kind, and they were struck again by how very different they were from their own races. Even the Turians would be making quiet jokes at a time like this, but to these people.

                                              "Alor'ad, miit teh _Normandy_ , alor'tsad par Shepard." One of the crew announced, turning to face the group, and Riamara raised her eyebrows slightly before nodding and giving him a gesture to continue. The meaning of his words soon became clear, for the holographic images of The Council soon appeared in mid air above a projector near the Captain's chair.

                                              _"SPECTRE Shepard, the Council has some information we are going to forward to you now, but the gist of it is that there are two potential leads. Two sightings of aggressive Geth, one on  the colony world of Feros, and another at an archeological dig on Therum."_ Sparatus said without so much as a 'how do you do', arms folded behind his back, Shepard's omni-tool pinged as the _Normandy_ forwarded the package to her, and she frowned as she skimmed through it.

                                              "Benezia's daughter is on Therum? That might explain how Saren is forcing her to go along with him. First by threatening her, and then by capturing her directly. Even if the attack isn't in earnest, it will show the Matriarch just how far his reach extends, forcing her into line." The newest SPECTRE's voice was tight, for she loathed those that would threaten the family of another to get what they wanted. Not only was it dishonorable, but rather cowardly as well.

                                              _"That is my hope. Not only will securing her give you great insight into what little we know about Protheans, but securing her safety might enable you to turn Benezia against Saren. I know the Matriarch very well, and I can promise you that the minute her daughter is safe, her rage will be nothing short of cataclysmic. I fully expect for Saren to be cleaning up with mops after she is finished with him."_ Tevos responded, and Shepard smirked in agreement. No wrath, not even that of a woman scorned, could match that of a mother protecting her children. The results of a Matriarch of Benezia's power and skill doing so would, no doubt, be spectacularly messy.

                                              "We will head out immediately to Therum then, Councilors. I'll be in touch with any updates, of course." She nodded respectfully as the Council faded away, before looking at Captain Riamara and raising an eyebrow. The woman nodded in return and turned to her crew, beginning to give them the orders required to speed them on their way. Within minutes, the titanic ship was vanishing at speeds faster than light as it soared towards Therum.

###################################################

***If this seems ludicrous to you, I want you to consider what, for instance, would likely happen to Earth should the continent of North America suddenly be no long present. Obviously, this would have a massive impact on tectonic plates and the like, leading to a chain reaction that would arguably shatter the planet. Remember, an asteroid hitting the planet annihilated all terrestrial living beings during the age of dinosaurs, so an entire continent suddenly vanishing from the planet would be...bad.**

**Also, if the Sith'ari strike you as OP...they kinda should. Compared to the ME universe, just about any other Sci Fi is going to be OP because they aren't stagnant. The ME universe hasn't had any innovation, true innovation, in millennia. Just mass effect based technology, over and over again.**


End file.
